Lidded Vessel
Artist/Maker
Maya (archaeological culture)
Mesoamerica
Dateca. 600-900
CultureMaya
Mediumpottery and specular hematite
DimensionsOverall: 9 7/8 x 6 3/4 in. (25.1 x 17.1 cm)
ClassificationsContainers
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stoetzer
Terms
Object number94.0054.02
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThis beautiful vessel is another example of how the boundaries between the animal and human worlds were permeable in ancient Maya society. Commissioned for a funerary assemblage, the lid of this tripod vase is decorated with a finely modeled head that displays both jaguar and human characteristics. Powerful animal companion spirits accompanied the dead on their journey to the Underworld and perhaps this vessel held an offering related to such a passage.- Art of the Ancient Americas
