Marble
University of Notre Dame
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Vessel with Tribute Scene

Date

600-900

Creator

Unrecorded Maya artist

Location

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

This is a finely incised vessel on which the artist rubbed a red pigment, such as cinnabar or ochre, to give the lines their red appearance. The scenes on these vessels read like a story, with a band of text around the top of the vessel describing what is being depicted. On one side, the vessel shows an elite male sitting cross-legged behind a coati, a mammal in the same family as racoons native to the Americas. A rope around the coati’s neck indicates that it is most likely a sacrificial offering. On the other side, a woman reclines on a bench, gesturing and speaking with a dwarf. Dwarfs appear frequently in Maya artwork, as they were important members of royal courts. The text found on this vessel can be transcribed as follows: Alay k’ahlaj jiich ti ul, utz’ihbnajal yuk’ib ti yutal kakaw "Here it is raised, the surface/object for atole, it is the painted drinking cup for fruity/seed cacao of the youth [title remains illegible]" Scene 1: Mih oon patan, yaljiy tz’utzih "There is not much tribute, said the coati" Scene 2: ch’aj yiil Ix ajaw kich yaljiy son "The pinole, roasted corn maize (reference to tribute or part of the tribute), it is seen (to) by the (saintly) queen, said the dwarf"

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This is a finely incised vessel on which the artist rubbed a red pigment, such as cinnabar or ochre, to give the lines their red appearance. The scenes on these vessels read like a story, with a band of text around the top of the vessel describing what is being depicted. On one side, the vessel shows an elite male sitting cross-legged behind a coati, a mammal in the same family as racoons native to the Americas. A rope around the coati’s neck indicates that it is most likely a sacrificial offering. On the other side, a woman reclines on a bench, gesturing and speaking with a dwarf. Dwarfs appear frequently in Maya artwork, as they were important members of royal courts. The text found on this vessel can be transcribed as follows: Alay k’ahlaj jiich ti ul, utz’ihbnajal yuk’ib ti yutal kakaw "Here it is raised, the surface/object for atole, it is the painted drinking cup for fruity/seed cacao of the youth [title remains illegible]" Scene 1: Mih oon patan, yaljiy tz’utzih "There is not much tribute, said the coati" Scene 2: ch’aj yiil Ix ajaw kich yaljiy son "The pinole, roasted corn maize (reference to tribute or part of the tribute), it is seen (to) by the (saintly) queen, said the dwarf"
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  • This is a finely incised vessel on which the artist rubbed a red pigment, such as cinnabar or ochre, to give the lines their red appearance. The scenes on these vessels read like a story, with a band of text around the top of the vessel describing what is being depicted. On one side, the vessel shows an elite male sitting cross-legged behind a coati, a mammal in the same family as racoons native to the Americas. A rope around the coati’s neck indicates that it is most likely a sacrificial offering. On the other side, a woman reclines on a bench, gesturing and speaking with a dwarf. Dwarfs appear frequently in Maya artwork, as they were important members of royal courts. The text found on this vessel can be transcribed as follows: Alay k’ahlaj jiich ti ul, utz’ihbnajal yuk’ib ti yutal kakaw "Here it is raised, the surface/object for atole, it is the painted drinking cup for fruity/seed cacao of the youth [title remains illegible]" Scene 1: Mih oon patan, yaljiy tz’utzih "There is not much tribute, said the coati" Scene 2: ch’aj yiil Ix ajaw kich yaljiy son "The pinole, roasted corn maize (reference to tribute or part of the tribute), it is seen (to) by the (saintly) queen, said the dwarf"
  • This is a finely incised vessel on which the artist rubbed a red pigment, such as cinnabar or ochre, to give the lines their red appearance. The scenes on these vessels read like a story, with a band of text around the top of the vessel describing what is being depicted. On one side, the vessel shows an elite male sitting cross-legged behind a coati, a mammal in the same family as racoons native to the Americas. A rope around the coati’s neck indicates that it is most likely a sacrificial offering. On the other side, a woman reclines on a bench, gesturing and speaking with a dwarf. Dwarfs appear frequently in Maya artwork, as they were important members of royal courts. The text found on this vessel can be transcribed as follows: Alay k’ahlaj jiich ti ul, utz’ihbnajal yuk’ib ti yutal kakaw "Here it is raised, the surface/object for atole, it is the painted drinking cup for fruity/seed cacao of the youth [title remains illegible]" Scene 1: Mih oon patan, yaljiy tz’utzih "There is not much tribute, said the coati" Scene 2: ch’aj yiil Ix ajaw kich yaljiy son "The pinole, roasted corn maize (reference to tribute or part of the tribute), it is seen (to) by the (saintly) queen, said the dwarf"
  • This is a finely incised vessel on which the artist rubbed a red pigment, such as cinnabar or ochre, to give the lines their red appearance. The scenes on these vessels read like a story, with a band of text around the top of the vessel describing what is being depicted. On one side, the vessel shows an elite male sitting cross-legged behind a coati, a mammal in the same family as racoons native to the Americas. A rope around the coati’s neck indicates that it is most likely a sacrificial offering. On the other side, a woman reclines on a bench, gesturing and speaking with a dwarf. Dwarfs appear frequently in Maya artwork, as they were important members of royal courts. The text found on this vessel can be transcribed as follows: Alay k’ahlaj jiich ti ul, utz’ihbnajal yuk’ib ti yutal kakaw "Here it is raised, the surface/object for atole, it is the painted drinking cup for fruity/seed cacao of the youth [title remains illegible]" Scene 1: Mih oon patan, yaljiy tz’utzih "There is not much tribute, said the coati" Scene 2: ch’aj yiil Ix ajaw kich yaljiy son "The pinole, roasted corn maize (reference to tribute or part of the tribute), it is seen (to) by the (saintly) queen, said the dwarf"
  • This is a finely incised vessel on which the artist rubbed a red pigment, such as cinnabar or ochre, to give the lines their red appearance. The scenes on these vessels read like a story, with a band of text around the top of the vessel describing what is being depicted. On one side, the vessel shows an elite male sitting cross-legged behind a coati, a mammal in the same family as racoons native to the Americas. A rope around the coati’s neck indicates that it is most likely a sacrificial offering. On the other side, a woman reclines on a bench, gesturing and speaking with a dwarf. Dwarfs appear frequently in Maya artwork, as they were important members of royal courts. The text found on this vessel can be transcribed as follows: Alay k’ahlaj jiich ti ul, utz’ihbnajal yuk’ib ti yutal kakaw "Here it is raised, the surface/object for atole, it is the painted drinking cup for fruity/seed cacao of the youth [title remains illegible]" Scene 1: Mih oon patan, yaljiy tz’utzih "There is not much tribute, said the coati" Scene 2: ch’aj yiil Ix ajaw kich yaljiy son "The pinole, roasted corn maize (reference to tribute or part of the tribute), it is seen (to) by the (saintly) queen, said the dwarf"
Unrecorded Maya artist
600-900
Vessels
Slipped and painted ceramic
L1999.066
Raclin Murphy Museum: 205
Sculpture
6 1/2 x 6 x 6 1/8 in. (16.51 x 15.24 x 15.56 cm)
Lent by William Rodriguez

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.