Late Classic Period, Circa 600 to 900 AD.
On one side, a richly adorned figure kneels with legs tucked beneath him, torso upright, and both hands raised at chest height, palms facing a textured background as if addressing or presenting something. His head is turned in profile, with a long aquiline nose and open mouth, and he wears a large beaded collar and a complex, flaring headdress whose volutes and streaming elements fill the upper part of the register.
On the next figure panel, another similarly dressed lord (or perhaps the same person repeated) is again shown in strict profile, seated on folded legs with a knotted sash at the waist and a beaded necklace at the throat. His arms gesture forward in parallel, forearms bent and hands extended, fingers lightly spread, and his elaborate headdress, with multiple curling serpent‑ or plume‑like strands, rises and falls in sinuous lines behind him, echoing the rhythm of the adjacent scroll column.
Between these figural scenes, the narrow “column of scroll‑like ornament” is composed of stacked, double‑curving S‑scrolls that interlock from top to bottom, giving the sense of a continuous, twisting band. This column acts like an architectural pilaster on the cup, visually framing each lord, separating the narrative zones, and reinforcing the vertical rhythm of the design.
The exterior is carved in shallow relief and highlighted with an orange‑tan slip that has mellowed to warm cream and honey tones, with fine age‑related crackling to the surface and areas of darker firing and deposits, giving the piece a pleasing, timeworn presence. The form and iconography echo Classic Maya courtly drinking vessels used for cacao and other elite beverages, now widely represented in museum collections.
Dimensions Height: 6 in (15.2 cm) x Diameter (approx.): 4 1/2 in (11.4 cm)
Provenance Collection of Walker Murray Randle, Granbury, Texas.
Condition Surface with overall fine craquelure, scattered small chips and abrasions along the rim and base, and minor firing flaws. Areas of orange toning and darker deposits to one side, consistent with long handling and display. No obvious large breaks or restorations visible under normal light; base with old collection label. Stable and suitable for open‑shelf or vitrine display.
