Double-chambered vessel (Guatemala or Mexico, 400’s AD). This is aMaya ceramic vessel that ma
Double-chambered vessel (Guatemala or Mexico, 400’s AD). This is aMaya ceramic vessel that may have been used for drinking at feasts,and then placed inside a tomb as a burial offering.The chamber on the right is the only one that actually opens. On itkneels a human holding out an offering to the huge mythological birdon the left.This bird is known as the Principal Bird Deity – one of the mostimportant gods of the early Maya pantheon, as he represented theanimate embodiment of jade.He has a large, hooked beak and is clutching a double-headed serpent. He wears a headdress, ear-flares, and a large pectoral (perhapsrepresenting a Spondylus shell).The bird’s eyes have L-shaped pupils, emphasizing its supernaturalaspects even further. His wings are animate, and have the profilesof serpent heads on them – this is quite common when depicting thisbird.A feline creature (probably also mythological) is climbing up thevessel. -- source link
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