Vase Depicting Seated Ruler and Dwarf

Exploring the Early Americas The Jay I. Kislak Collection

Pre-Contact America | Explorations and Encounters | Aftermath of the Encounter

Urban Landscapes | Ritual, Ceremonies, and Celebrations | Language and Context | Recording History | The Heavens and Time

Vase Depicting Seated Ruler and Dwarf (23)

Vase depicting seated ruler, the god Itzam, and a dwarf.
Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900.
Red-rimmed, black-on-cream ceramic.
Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (23)
Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

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This Maya vessel depicts a ruler wearing a beaded headdress and sitting cross-legged on his throne. The king is addressing Itzam, the creator god and patron of scribes, and behind him sits a chubby dwarf wearing a fancy headdress.

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