Vessel, Mythological Scene 7th-8th century Attributed to the Metropolitan Painter This cylindrical drinking cup is the magnum opus of the Maya vase painter known as the Metropolitan Master. It contains one of the finest extant deity portraits from the Classic Maya corpus. The young rain god, named Chahk, poses mid-stride, lifting off his left foot and extending the right leg in front of him, gracefully pointing his toes. The underside of each leg is marked with a scale pattern, evoking a shimmering and wet aquatic creature. He wears a complex loincloth that shows the typical knotted cotton of his costuming, and the rear panel of the loincloth contorts as if the artist was referencing a fish tail. The necklace of Chahk is quite unique: the collar consists of pendant extruded eyeballs and the pectoral is in the shape of an upside-down water jar marked with the hieroglyph for darkness, with what looks like a small serpent emerging from its mouth. His other jewels on the ankles and wrists