Cleveland Museum of Art

Ring-Base Vessel

Date

c. 600–1000

Medium

marble

Culture

Honduras, Maya, Ulúa Valley

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The Ulúa region of Honduras, to the east of Maya territory, is best known for white marble vessels with walls ornamented in low relief and handles carved as animal heads, here bats but also felines, birds, monkeys, and others. This small example is distinguished by the crispness of its carved scrolls and the triangular cutouts of its pedestal base. One of two vessels that were the first ancient American artworks collected by James and Florence Gruener.

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