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Vessel with Battle Scene
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Likely used as a political gift, this vessel depicts the presentation of prisoners in the aftermath of battle. A front-facing lord turns to review ten elegantly drawn warriors, some stripped of battle regalia and others dressed in elaborate headgear and garments, including tunics made of jaguar pelts. The hieroglyphs encircling the rim dedicate the vessel, used to drink an elite beverage made of cacao (chocolate) beans.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineVessel with Battle Scene, 600–900. Mesoamerica, Maya, Nebaj region, Late Classic Period, 7th-10th century. Ceramic and slip; overall: 17.2 x 15.4 cm (6 3/4 x 6 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2012.32
