Polychrome Vase

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Culture Maya

Title Polychrome Vase

Date 700–800

Medium Clay and pigment

Dimensions Object: 9 5/8 × 6 3/8 in. (24.4 × 16.2 cm)
Overall: 9 5/8 x 6 3/8 in. (24.4 x 16.2 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 73.10.1

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About this Work

The cylindrical shape of this vase, its color, and the arrangement of the decoration—a band of glyphs circling the top of the vase with figures below it—are all typical of Late Classic Maya ceramics; however, the number and complexity of the individual figures as well as the scenes in which they are arranged are exceptional. Though much is still not understood about Maya imagery and iconography, painted ceramics such as this clearly convey the richness of imagination and thought that helped to make the Maya a dominant culture during Mesoamerica’s Classic period.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Polychrome Vase | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=73.10.1