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Chamá-style cylinder vase
Maya
Late Classic period
A.D. 700–800
Place of Manufacture: Guatemala, Chamá region, Southern Highlands
Medium/Technique
Earthenware: red, brown, black, and white on orange slip paint
Dimensions
13.5 x 18.6 cm (5 5/16 x 7 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
William Francis Warden Fund
Accession Number1972.423
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsCeramics – Pottery – Earthenware
DescriptionThe vessel is decorated with two representations of the underworld supernatural called Camazotz' in the Popol Vuh epic. Each representation is separated by a vertical line of three hieroglyphics, each being the opening phrases of the Primary Standard Sequence. The vessel is encircled by a chevron band at its rim and basal area, a stylistic feature of pottery made in the Chamá area of southern Guatemala.
Provenance1972, sold by Alfred Stendahl Gallery, Hollywood, CA, to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 7, 1972)