Maya Polychrome Tripod Plate of a Deity

Emile Deletaille, Brussels

American Private Collection, acquired from the above

Sotheby’s, New York, May 7, 2016, lot 125, consigned by the above

Private Collection, California, acquired at the above auction

Nicholas Hellmuth, Monsters and Men in Maya Art, Graz, 1987, p. 298, fig. 661 (drawing)

Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Art of the Ancient Americas, 2005 - 2010; [long term loan exhibition]

This dramatic figure of a dignitary in the guise of the deity God L, is portrayed in a high status setting, seated on a dais supported on tall stepped legs. God L is known for his association with tobacco, as he holds forth a bunch of leaves. His aged menacing face is distinctive for the jutting lower jaw and wide goggle eyes, his head is surmounted by the lively moan bird headdress, and he wears a thick cape and long jade bead necklace. Behind him rests a raised vessel with offerings shown at the top.

The tondo scene is framed by the elaborate rim of the skyband emblems, bordered by the glyphic band covering half of the rim. One legible glyph refers to a “Kaloomte’- a paramount king.” The underside is decorated by a sharply stepped basal flange. 

Cf. For a similar depiction of God L, see mayavase.com, K702; for a palace scene with smoking figures see ibid, K8469.

Comments on a Maya Polychrome Plate 

Mark Van Stone, Ph.D.

This rattle-footed plate portrays God L seated on a throne facing left, brandishing a sprig of tobacco. God L is one of the highest-ranked Maya gods, he often appears as ruler over several of them, as in the famed “Vase of the Seven Gods” (See K2796 in mayavase.com). Layers of meaning may be gleaned from details of the plate, such as the two sprigs of tobacco. The legs of the throne are marked with emblems indicating it is made of stone.    

On the Throne behind God L sits an object with round (probably rattling) feet. Two round objects sit atop it, either tamales or balls of copal incense. (The glyph for POM, “incense”, is rimmed with dots like these.) It is either a vase whose upper rim is painted with jaguar-spots… Or this could represent a small drum covered with a jaguar-skin. 

God L wears a diagnostic/characteristic sombrero fronted by an Owl’s head and rimmed by Owl feathers. (Above the Owl is a panache with four Quetzal tail feathers (painted in faded green, a color also seen decorating the throne.) He also wears a distinctive shawl imitating the shell of an armadillo. Often smoking a cheroot, God L is the avatar of Tobacco; indeed one of his names is MAY, “Tobacco.” (Pronounced “my”). Scholars don’t have any idea what connects owls, armadillos, and tobacco. 

Before God L’s face is a glyphic text; one more glyph under the throne likely concludes the phrase. The number 3 (a row of three dots) appears three times in this text. In other vase-texts, this three-dot motif acts as a spacer with no other meaning except perhaps to draw emphasis. Indeed, the main text around the rim has five of these Spacers.  

Surrounding the enthroned ruler is a ring of Sky-band. This stylized device consists of fourteen rectangular glyphs for celestial features. The ‘St. Andrew’s Cross’ design repeats six times, and contains features of the glyph CHAN, “Sky”. At the top and near the bottom of the ring is a ‘Quincunx’ of five dots that represent the Center and Four Cardinal Directions of the Universe. Two other signs contain the four-petaled K’IN glyph for “Sun / Day”, and four have the vaguely-facial glyph AK’BAL “Darkness / Night”. This kind of array places this event in the Heavens.   

Outside the Sky-band is another rim design, half of text, and half portraying a strip of tanned deerhide (with tabs along the edges, indicating stretching on a hide-frame).  The text names a king who carries the rare Kaloom-Te’ “Conqueror” title (just opposite the sprigs of tobacco). The rest of the text is obscure. It likely tells us the king’s name and other titles.