Cylinder Vessel with Palace Scene

600–800 CE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Painted Maya ceramics provide an intimate glimpse into courtly life. This drinking vessel records the presentation of luxury goods as tribute, possibly as spoils of war. Dressed in a feather cape and seated on a throne with a rounded white pillow, the principal lord receives a kneeling military chief, who crosses his arms in a gesture of submission. The chief arrives in a litter lined with jaguar pelts and offers stacked white cotton cloth, Spondylus shell, and two white bags, probably containing cacao.



Las cerámicas mayas elegantemente pintadas permiten entrever la vida en la corte. Este vaso permite observar objetos de lujo como tributos, que posiblemente eran botines de guerra. El Señor más importante, vestido con una capa de plumas y sentado sobre un trono con un almohadón blanco y redondo, recibe a un jefe militar arrodillado y de brazos cruzados, en signo de sumisión. El jefe llega en una litera revestida con piel de jaguar y le regala una concha Spondylus envuelta en varias capas de tela de algodón blanco, así como dos otros bolsos blancos, que probablemente contienen cacao.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cylinder Vessel with Palace Scene
  • Date: 600–800 CE
  • Geography: Guatemala
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Ceramic. pigment
  • Dimensions: H. 28 × Diam. 14.6 cm (11 × 5 3/4 in.)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Vessels
  • Credit Line: Princeton University Art Museum, Gift of Mary O’Boyle English in honor of Woodruff J. English and the Class of 1931 (y1986-91)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing