Tripod cup of unknown origin, although by the style and the technique it could be attributed to the Petén region. It shows a cut scene that reproduces four personages facing each other two against two. The colors of the red and oranges shades are predominant, followed by white and black. This latter color was always used to mark the edges, but in this case it was also applied as a backdrop, although it is hardly noticed. The upper and lower edges are highlighted in red, marking the space dedicated to the scene. A black band containing the glyph text can be seen under the upper edge.
The main scene represents a high ruler receiving wool blankets from another dignitary, possibly a vassal or a subordinate king. In Mayan art, the personage sitting on the right was always the main one of the scene. The ruler is sitting in an oriental position with his body facing forward and the head to the side. His headdress, much more elaborate than that of his vassal, is formed by a face with a prominent and long nose with a mirror on the front, perhaps the god K’awiil, which is adorned with feathers.
The white banner that there is between both, as well as their hands, which seem to dance on the white backdrop of the banner, are those that give movement to the scene and those that center the viewer´s focus. The position of the hands without a doubt transmitted information that served as visual language that must have been understood during the Classic. However, they are currently questions of semantics that are beyond us. On the lower part of the ruler another scene develops with two other sitting personages seen from the side, facing each other.
The text along the upper edge of the cup is not coherent, but rather a sequence of apparently disted words, although some are semantically related, such as ´the reader´ or ´the ant´ or ´the scribe´ and ´wise man´, or ´mother´ and ´woman´s son´. Some of this deciphering is not one hundred percent sure, due to the fact that the majority are not orthodox hieroglyphs, but rather spellings that come close to them (known as pseudoglyphs). On the other hand, in these texts we find some conventions of abbreviation or composition of strange or very rare words. In synthesis, a Mayan text as such is not before us, but rather a sort of pseudo-text whose function was apparently more decorative.
Tripod cup of unknown origin, although by the style and the technique it could be attributed to the Petén region. It shows a cut scene that reproduces four personages facing each other two against two. The colors of the red and oranges shades are predominant, followed by white and black. This latter color was always used to mark the edges, but in this case it was also applied as a backdrop, although it is hardly noticed. The upper and lower edges are highlighted in red, marking the space dedicated to the scene. A black band containing the glyph text can be seen under the upper edge.
