Polychrome Vase
| 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 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
Cylindrical polychrome vase with red, black, and orange details on a cream background. The vessel includes a red band around the rim, and two bands of glyphs directly below it and a complex scene or multiple scenes depicted on the vessel's body, including figures and glyphs in clusters.
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 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