The Fenton Vase is the name of a famous ancient
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...
vase or cup that was excavated from the archeological site of
Nebaj
Nebaj is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the western Guatemala highlands near the Ixil people, Ixil village of Santa Maria Nebaj. What is now known as the Fenton Vase was excavated from this site. It is n ...
in the western
Guatemala highlands. It is known for its intricate painting and historical record of the Maya elite. The vase was acquired by the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
in 1930, which named it after a donor. Other examples of
Maya ceramics include the
Princeton Vase.
Description
The elaborately decorated pottery beaker records a tribute scene to a lord who sits on a palace throne. The seated lord points to the tribute in front of a kneeling prince. Behind the lord is another seated individual, who appears to hold a
codex. Two standing figures frame the scene with
hieroglyphic
Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1,00 ...
text displayed throughout. All the figures wear expensive clothing and jewellery. The seated Lord receiving the tribute is adorned with the most refined regalia and headdress.
Provenance
The ceramic pot was discovered in 1904 at the archeological site of Nebaj in the highlands of Guatemala. It was later acquired by English collector CL Fenton. The British Museum purchased it from him in 1930, with the support of the
National Art Collections Fund.
British Museum Collection
/ref> Four similar vessels have been unearthed in the area since the late 20th century, suggesting there was a workshop or artist based in the vicinity of Nebaj during the late Classical Period. These high-quality items may have been commissioned by an individual Maya lord to represent important events from his life.
See also
*Copán Bench Panel
The Copán Bench Panel or ''Copan Bench Panel'' is the name of a sculpted platform that was originally located in Temple 11 at the Maya site of Copán in Honduras. Discovered by the English archaeologist Alfred Maudslay in the late nineteenth cen ...
* Yaxchilan Lintel 24
*Tulum Stela 1
Tulum Stela 1 is the name of a Mayan engraved monolith that was found at the ancient Mesoamerican site of Tulum in Mexico. Known for its important inscription, the stela was purchased by the British Museum in 1924.
Description
The large stone ste ...
Bibliography
*C. McEwan, ''Ancient Mexico in the British'' (London, The British Museum Press, 1994)
*M. Coe, ''Breaking the Maya Code'' (London, Thames & Hudson, 1992)
*L. Schele and M.E. Miller, ''The Blood of Kings'' (London, Thames & Hudson, 1986)
* M. Coe and J. Kerr, ''The Art of the Maya Scribe'' (London, Thames & Hudson, 1997)
References
{{reflist
Artefacts from Africa, Oceania and the Americas in the British Museum
Mesoamerican artifacts
Ethnographic objects in the British Museum
Individual pieces of pottery
Pre-Columbian pottery
Individual vases
Guatemala–United Kingdom relations