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Exploring the Early Americas The Jay I. Kislak Collection
Vase with Stylized Flowers and Primary Standard Sequence Glyph Band (33.2)

Fleur-de-lis vase with primary standard sequence glyph band.
Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900.
Black and orange on white ceramic.
Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (33.2)
Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Vase with Stylized Flowers and Primary Standard Sequence Glyph Band 

This tall, narrow cylindrical vessel is a striking example of a class of vessel that features a stylized, repetitive motif of three-lobed white and black flowers reminiscent of the lilies (fleurs-de-lis) used in later European art and heraldry.  Despite their frequent appearance on vessels from this region, their significance remains unclear.  This vessel was a drinking cup, signified by its shape and a glyph that names it as such.  Unlike most cups of this type, this vessel omits the proper name of its owner, perhaps to render it more suitable as a gift or an item of tribute.  Along the outer rim of the vessel runs a nine-glyph dedicatory formula.
 

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