tlatollotl:

Cylinder vase

Maya
Late Classic Period
A.D. 755–780

Place of Manufacture: Motul de San José area, El Petén, Guatemala

Ritual drinking vase painted with a scene that combines elements from two seminal Maya myths–the sacrifice of the Baby Jaguar and the featuring the birth/resurrection of the Maize god at Nah-Ho’-Chan , a supernatural mountain location in the north named in the hieroglyphic text as well as depicted underneath the conflated representation of the Baby Jaguar-Maize god. Two supernaturals flank him, and a white cord, which makes reference to an umbilical cord, unites the three figures. This vase was painted by one of the most accomplished artists of the Classic period.

This vase is considered one of the finest examples of Maya painting. The artist’s mastery of the watercolor-like quality of slip paint is particularly remarkable here. Notice the subtle washes on the bodies, extremely difficult to achieve with clay-based paints.

The scene depicts the birth of the Maize god, flanked by a supernatural with jaguar attributes and another with Sun-god features. The white umbilical cord that unifies the scene also encouraged the viewer to rotate the vase. The hieroglyphic text records the birth’s mythological date and supernatural locale, Na-Ho-Chan (Five Sky House).

MFA