Description
Among Maya noble families, finely painted ceramic vessels were used as fancy tableware, treasured gifts that secured the support of allies, and funerary offerings placed in tombs. Accordingly, the vessels’ imagery varies from religious themes to scenes of courtly life. Here, two attendants kneel before an enthroned nobleman who wears an enormous bird-head headdress.
Provenance
(Stendahl Art Galleries, Los Angeles, CA, 1972, sold to James C. and Florence C. Gruener) (?-1972); James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1972-1990); The Cleveland Museum of Art (1990)
Accession Number
1990.181
Medium
pottery with burnished, colored slips
Dimensions
Overall: 24.5 x 10.5 cm (9 5/8 x 4 1/8 in.)
Classification
Ceramic
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener