Codex-style vessel with scribe

8th 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.
Gods were literate, and often shown reading or writing. On a fragmentary vase, a scribe with the appearance of the Maize God reads from a large book with a jaguar-pelt cover.

Vasija estilo códice con escriba
Grupo Códice, Nakbe, Guatemala
Siglo VIII
Cerámica, pigmento


Los dioses sabían leer y escribir y, a menudo, se les representaba haciéndolo. En el vaso fragmentado se distingue a un escriba, parecido al dios del maíz, leyendo un libro grande con forro de piel de jaguar.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Codex-style vessel with scribe
  • Date: 8th century
  • Geography: Guatemala
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Ceramic, pigment
  • Dimensions: H. 8 9/16 × Diam. 5 7/8 × THK.1/4 in. (21.7 × 15 × 0.7 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Vessels
  • Credit Line: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala City, Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes de Guatemala
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing