Bowl with lid having handle in shape of bird

Bowl with lid, with handle in the shaped of a bird's head that by its design and morphology can be assigned to the Early Classic period; characteristic features of this period are the everted outward edge, the use of conical caps with handles, sometimes zoomorphic, and the design of animals, supernatural beings and gods on their painted and modeled sides. In this piece the predominant colors are the ranges of red. The conical lid ends in a handle modeled with a bird 's head, the wings and tail were painted on the main part of the lid. The head is rounded, the beak is short and slightly curved, the circular eyes are large and black, highlighted in their upper and lower parts by black stripes and bulky ornaments among them. The back of the head is decorated with black feathers using U-shaped strokes, a standardized design for reproducing feathers.

Considering the physical traits of the bird it is possible that we are viewing an owl, considered very special beings related to the underworld, and that were widely portrayed in classic vessels. The wings, which cover the sides of the lids are designed with wavy lines and feathers, outlined in black. The top of each wing is topped with a knotted ending in tubular and circular elements that resemble wings pertaining to supernatural birds of the Early Classic. The sides of the bowl are decorated with two heads of schematic and symmetrical snakes, which are framed by two black lines. They are painted in the conventional Mayan style, in profile and with crooked nose or jaw upwards, so that the teeth are noticeable. The eye is painted in red with a black pupil and a U-shaped eyebrow. The tradition of reproducing schematic snakes is shared by different cultures of Mesoamerica going back to the Olmecs.