A large Maya Copador Cylinder Vase, ca. 500 - 1000 CE

A large colorful pottery vessel painted in earthy tones of red, orange, and black against a dark orange-tan background and decorated with three painted panels, each depicting a kneeling chief wearing large elaborate feathered headdresses, kilt, back sash, and with hands forward. Two chiefs bear an offering or sack, while the third is empty-handed. A register of primary standard sequence glyphs above and a vertical line of the same between each panel. 

The Maya used cylinder vessels to drink a highly-prized frothy and bitter beverage made from cacao, though the size of this example suggests it was used to froth cacao rather than for drinking. Vessels of this type were painted with painstaking detail, as they were reserved for use by the elites during banquets, similar to the concept of today's fine china. Each city-state had its own unique motifs and scenes, and rulers would often gift cylinder vessels as diplomatic gifts. 

Medium: Clay

Dimensions: Height: 8 1/4 inches (20.32 cm), Width: 8 1/4 inches (20.32 cm)

Condition:  The vessel is complete and professionally reassembled, with aesthetic cosmetic repair over the breaks that does not detract. An impressive example.

Provenance: Charles Warren, (Foreign Unlimited Gallery) Coconut Grove, FL., acquired in the 1970s, Robert Donnelly collection, NH., acquired 1978 - 1980, then by descent, private NYC collection, acquired from the trade in 2012.