Minneapolis Institute of Art

Serving Vessel

Maya artist

Date: c. 600–900 CE
Medium: Clay, pigments
Culture: Maya
Department: Arts of the Americas
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art

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. México, Americas

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