Mayan Polychrome Pottery Cylinder Vessel with Supernatural Dog

Deep ritual vessel painted in a slip palette of red, cream, and black/brown typical of highland Guatemalan workshops such as those associated with the Chamá and peripheral codex-style traditions. The upper register shows a pseudo-glyphic band of hieroglyphics, representing a PSS. The schematic, non linguistic character of these "glyphs"  indicates a workshop on the periphery of the major Classic centers, where scribes  imitated the codex/glyph convention decoratively rather than knowing true hieroglyphs.

The towering zoomorphic figure to either side, likely a dog, with ears pricked, elongated muzzle, and hatched fur, exhibit features consistent with a supernatural canine—a Maya Underworld dog, believed to guide souls through Xibalba, the "place of fright".   Small skull-like and shell-like motifs scattered in the red background are classic markers of Xibalba scenes — death's-head cartouches, conch/shell elements, and scroll-volutes indicating watery or nocturnal underworld atmosphere.

The scene probably references mythic/Underworld narrative rather than a historical court event. Supernatural dogs appear alongside Death Gods and the Hero Twins' journey through Xibalba in the Popol Vuh cycle, and recent scholarship also interprets such zoomorphs as way beings — animate spells or personified illnesses dispatched by sorcerers, which are a well-documented theme on Late Classic cylinder vessels

Size 8 3/4 in. H, x 5 1/2 in. Diam., Repaired from approx. 6 large fragments and in-painted at the join lines.  Also there are two sets of two ancient drilled holes, a signs of ancient repairs with cracks to either side but the fastener (probably organic) gone. 

Provenance:  Formerly in the collection of Mario Villa (1953–2021), Nicaraguan‑born, New Orleans–based artist and designer, noted for his distinctive furniture, sculpture, paintings, and jewelry.