Serving Vessel

Maya artist

c. 600–900 CE

Clay, pigments

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A dark, lidded ceramic vessel with intricate incised designs on its domed lid and cylindrical body. The lid features a small, raised knob with a hole. This especially large lidded vessel was once at the center of a sacred bundle of textiles gathered and tied through the round opening in the lid's handle. Containers of this type were used to present and serve tamales and other foods at ceremonial feasts. Sacred images incised in the lid feature representations of four Maya gods including the Maize God and Jaguar God. The four-lobed shape around the handle is symbolic of a portal between the earthly realm and the watery underworld. Images of K'awiil, the god of lightning and royal lineage, surround the bottom of the vessel. Gallery G260 Gift of funds from Ben Heller