Guatemala, Northern Peten or Mexico, Southern Campeche, Maya, late Classic / 600–900
Painted Vase with Ruler and Scribe
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Painted Vase with Ruler and Scribe as ceramic (Guatemala, Northern Peten or Mexico, Southern Campeche, Maya, late Classic · 600–900).
A string of death glyphs below the rim departs from the Primary Standard Sequence.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as pottery with burnished, colored slips.
The museum's collection notes: Among Maya noble families, finely painted ceramic vessels were used as fancy tableware, treasured gifts that secured the support of allies, and funerary offerings placed in tombs. Accordingly, the vessels’ imagery varies from religious themes to scenes of courtly life. Here, two attendants kneel before an enthroned nobleman who wears an enormous bird-head headdress.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPainted Vase with Ruler and ScribeOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.