*Vase cérémoniel cylindrique polychrome

decorated with a mythological scene with the god Shahk and the god of Death. The two deities face each other. The first scene shows the god of Death seated in profile. He is recognizable by his skeletal body clad only in a striped loincloth that falls between his legs. His arms are outstretched and his hands are clapping. He is adorned with earrings, a necklace with a pectoral and multi-row bracelets on his wrists and ankles. His face is also gaunt, and from his skull, split at the top, a headdress with a royal insignia seems to emerge. He sits on a pile of human bones and eyes. An intermediate scene is inserted between the two main ones. It illustrates an upside down anthropozoomorphic being, half human, half jaguar, with its tail with spotted fur. It rests on a hill from which the body of a chimeric snake with a wide-open mouth is protruding. A row of vertical glyphs separates the scenes and extends horizontally to the god Chahk. The Maya god of rain, Chahk is shown in an aggressive position with one leg kneeling and the other bent. His torso is naked, only his waist is covered with a loincloth. His body, with its human attributes, is decorated with reptile scales and adorned with his most beautiful finery. Bracelets decorate the ankles and wrists, a necklace with bells and a pectoral adorns the neck, and rich shell earrings complete the ensemble. The god's right arm is outstretched and his hand holds a stone axe representing an anthropozoomorphic head. The other arm is folded and his hand probably holds a lightning scepter, a characteristic attribute of Shahk. The face combines human features with elements of amphibian animals linked to the aquatic world of the god. The jaw is round, the tongue is forked and the eyes are bulging. The "sugarloaf" skull is topped by an elaborate headdress from which vegetal elements emerge. In association with the god of Death, Chahk presides over the initiation ritual of transformation into a jaguar, followed by its sacrifice and descent into the underworld, symbolized by the hill. The glyphs painted on the surface of the vase specify its function. It was intended to receive cocoa, absorbed during ritual ceremonies. Beige terracotta with polychrome decoration Maya - Mexico, 550 - 850 AD 15.6 x 12.2 cm Provenance: - Former John Fulling collection since 1969 - Mermoz Gallery, 2011 Lot presented in Temporary Importation Good state of conservation