Pre-Columbian, Mayan Territories, Late Classic, ca. 9th century CE. A large molded and carved pottery cylinder from the Maya world with intricate iconography, a flat base, and a slightly flared mouth. Overall the cylinder has a dusky brown/orange color. Around the rim are relief glyphs depicting animals - probably including Quetzal and Bat - alongside one of the most common and telling Maya glyphs, the seed of the cacao plant. Below that, also in relief is a seated figure, dressed richly, holding what appears to be maize (corn). To the sides, cross-hatched glyphs echo that message - they are almost certainly the glyphs for maize, the agricultural crop upon which the Maya world hinged, and the star of Mayan cosmogeny. That image is repeated on the opposite side. This cylinder was almost certainly used for the ritual ingestion of a drink made from cacao (chocolate). Size: 6.65" W x 8.3" H (16.9 cm x 21.1 cm)

These glyphs would have had significant meaning to their Maya viewers. The bat was seen as the ally of the ghouls and the most demonic animal in the Maya bestiary. The bat hieroglyph shows a fanged animal with an erect nose; this nose is linked with the stone tools used for decapitation, a powerful tool in Mayan iconography. The bat is usually shown with its full body, so here the glyph probably represents the month of bat, known as suutz (also spelled zotz), the fourth month in the Mayan calendar. In front of the bat is a glyph that is probably Quetzal, k'uk, a common royal name, and a bird whose feathers were used in trade and tribute and are often depicted as adorment for important personages. Ahead of that glyph is one with the characteristic oval shape of the cacao fruit, and that glyph holds the key to understanding this vessel. When roasted and ground, cacao beans were mixed into frothy drinks with vanilla, water, chilies, and other seasonings that all Maya people, both elite and common, enjoyed. Residue analysis of vessels like this one has revealed that they were used for consuming the hot chocolate-like drink.

Provenance: Ex-Vaught collection, Atlanta, GA

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#117943

Repaired from 10 pieces; restoration over exterior breaks, all there and a wonderful scene!