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Cylinder vessel

7th–9th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Created in a style emulating wood or stone carving, this vessel features a young woman cradling a cub and confined inside a large conch shell depicted in a cutaway view. She is likely the daughter of the old god who sits next to the shell. Modern narratives tell of young goddesses whose parents keep them away from suitors by locking them inside jars, boxes, or other enclosures—the function of the conch shell here. Despite their precautions, suitors still manage to enter, in this case producing animal offspring.

Vasija cilíndrica
Yucatán, México
Siglo VII al IX
Cerámica con engobe


Imitando la talla en piedra o madera, esta vasija muestra a una muchacha acunando a un cachorro y encerrada en un gran caracol, que se representa seccionado para revelar el interior. Debe tratarse de la hija del dios anciano que está sentado afuera. Los relatos modernos cuentan sobre diosas jóvenes que han sido confinadas por sus padres en jarras, cajas u otros encierros para alejarlas de sus pretendientes. A pesar de ello, estos logran penetrar los escondites. En este caso, el resultado de la unión sobrenatural parece ser el cachorro acunado en brazos de la joven.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cylinder vessel
  • Date: 7th–9th century
  • Geography: Mexico, Yucatan
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Earthenware with slip
  • Dimensions: H. 7 1/4 × Diam. 6 5/8 in. (18.4 × 16.8 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Vessels
  • Credit Line: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Gift of Frank Carroll in memory of Frank and Eleanor Carroll, 2014.83
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing