**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. An exemplary pottery cylinder vessel, finely painted with scenes of sacred rituals, glyphs, and geometric motifs. On one side, a jaguar god sits before a chief wearing an elaborate feathered headdress. The royal gestures toward the zoomorph who projects a speech bubble from his mouth. On the opposing side, another chief sits with a smoking god, perhaps a dwarf, both dressed in loincloths and prominent headwear with 3 glyphs between them. The band of text surrounding the rim likely dedicates the vessel and designates its use. A fabulous example of Maya ritual and iconographic tradition! Size: 5" Diameter x 8.1" H (12.7 cm x 20.6 cm)

Known as the "king of beasts" in the Pre-Columbian world and infamous for possessing high speed and massive strength, the jaguar was believed to dominate nature and inspire respect and awe throughout the ancient Americas. Jaguars were associated with strength and leadership, whether regarding spirituality or martial skill. Warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this King of Beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World whom they viewed as their spirit companion and protector. According to a dramatic narrative in the Popol Vuh, the protective hero twin Xbalanque, possessing a zoomorphic phenotype with jaguar skin, fought the monster macaw Vucub Caquix with his twin Hunahpu, and the hero twins defeated the monster.

Residue analysis on vessels like this one show that they were used for drinking chocolate, a hugely popular and ritual practice amongst the Maya, especially the elite. Although we know little about the artisans who made vessels like this one, we do know that cylinder jars are often associated with tombs, sometimes ritually broken. Prominent Mayanist Michael Coe has connected the scenes depicted upon the most important of these vessels with the sixteenth century Maya written epic, the Popol Vuh, which describes Maya religion and mythology, as this one does.

According to Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education scholars Dorie Reents-Budet and Ronald Bishop, "Today, when high-profile foreign dignitaries visit the White House, they can expect to attend grand dinners and to receive gifts, often custom-made by the best artists in the country. The gifts honor the visitor and showcase the giver's fine taste. In the days of the Classic Maya (A.D. 250-900), state-level gift-giving was little different, and no gift reflected more meaning or artistic expertise than the painted ceramic vase. Twenty years ago, the hieroglyphs, images, and even origins of these extraordinary vessels were little known. Now, advances in decipherment and chemical technology have made these vases invaluable for exploring the economic, political, and social exploits of the Maya. The vases, used both to serve food at feasts and as gifts presented at such events, were created by highly skilled painters who had mastered the intricacies of Classic Maya religious mythology, ideology, and history, and used hieroglyphic writing as both communication and visual poetry. Artists were highly regarded and often members of elite families." (Archaeology Archive, Vol. 56, Number 2, March/April 2003, abstract)

This item is listed in the Kerr Database of Maya cylinders as number K9300.

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Provenance: ex-private Orlando, Florida, USA collection, acquired May 12, 2022; ex-Art for Eternity, New York, New York, USA; ex-Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA, March 7, 2022, lot 198; ex-Kerr Database, Kerr number K9300; ex-Marianne and Robert Huber collection, Dixon, Illinois and New York, New York, USA, acquired in the 1970s

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#176985

Professionally repaired with some minor chipping and losses along break lines. Two stable hairline fissures to rim with some small chips at rim. Expected nicks and abrasions to surface, but otherwise has an excellent presentation with great remaining pigments and detail. Old collection label on base.