Akan Suutz'
Image of K'awiil Chan K'inich, Holy Lord of Dos Pilas741–761 CE

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Stonework from Mesoamerica and the Caribbean Coast

Cylindrical Maya ceramic vessel with painted polychrome decoration; a seated figure in dark red wearing an elaborate feathered headdress and jewelry holds a round drum, flanked by a vertical column of Maya glyphs at left and additional glyphic text along the upper rim.

Maya ceramic cylinder vessel with cream slip ground, painted in red-orange and black with a seated figure wearing an elaborate headdress, surrounded by Maya hieroglyphic glyphs along the upper band and flanking columns.

Maya ceramic cylinder vessel with painted slip decoration in red, orange, and black on cream ground, depicting a standing figure in elaborate headdress and decorated garment, with a column of Maya glyphs at right and a small figure at lower right.

Painted Maya ceramic cylinder vessel with cream slip ground, depicting a seated figure in red body paint wearing an elaborate feathered headdress, surrounded by Maya glyphs along the upper register and base band.

Cylindrical Maya ceramic vessel with polychrome painted decoration; a standing figure in elaborate headdress and orange garment faces a column of Maya glyphs, rendered in red, orange, black, and teal on a cream slip ground, with visible weathering.

Maya ceramic cylinder vessel with cream slip ground, painted in red-orange and black with a seated figure in elaborate headdress holding an object, flanked by Maya glyphs along the rim and body; surface shows age-related wear and flaking.

Ceramic cylinder vessel photographed from a low angle showing the open top, with a cream slip exterior painted with red and black figural scenes including a seated figure, partially visible at upper edge; worn surface with flaking paint and darkened rim.

Maya ceramic cylinder vessel photographed on its side, open end facing viewer; cream slip exterior painted with figural scenes and hieroglyphic glyphs in red, orange, and brown; wear and dark pigment loss visible along the rim and base.

Artist or Maker: Akan Suutz'
Maya (Ik'a, now Motul de San José, Guatemala), active 8th century
Title: Image of K'awiil Chan K'inich, Holy Lord of Dos Pilas
Culture: Maya
Place Made: Guatemala, Petén, Motul de San José or vicinity
Date Made: 741–761 CE
Style: Ik'
Medium: Engobe-painted earthenware with postfire pigment
Dimensions: Height: 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm); Diameter: 5 1/8 in. (13.02 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2010.115.12
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Selected Bibliography: O'Neil, Megan E. Forces of Nature: Ancient Maya Arts from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Beijing Shi: Wen wu chu ban she, 2018.
Magaloni Kerpel, Diana, and Megan E. O'Neil, editors. The Science and Art of Maya Painted Ceramic Vessels: Contextualizing a Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2022. https://www.archive.org/details/maya-painted-ceramic-vessels (accessed November 21, 2022).
Brittenham, Claudia. Unseen Art: Making, Vision, and Power in Ancient Mesoamerica. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2023.
Saunders, David, and Megan E. O'Neil, editors. Picture Worlds: Storytelling on Greek, Moche, and Maya Pottery. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2024.
Magaloni, Diana, Davide Domenici, and Alyce de Carteret. We Live in Painting: the Nature of Color in Mesoamerican Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2024.

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