Vessel, Throne Scene late 7th-8th century Maya This polychrome Classic Maya drinking cup bears the finest example of a palace scene executed in the Chamá style. This painting tradition originated in the Alta Verapaz highlands in modern-day Guatemala. Chamá-style vases were a feature of courtly life on the western frontier of the Maya world in the eighth century. They were used in feasting, gift exchange, and funerary offerings. These few dozen vessels that survive represent a short-lived burst of artistic creativity at a time when major lowland cities were in political turmoil and on the brink of abandonment. Shaped using the hand-built coil technique, the cylindrical vase contains a scene slip-painted on a yellow-orange background in red, brown, and white, outlined in black. A band of red paint encircles both the rim and the base of the vessel. Directly below, a black-and-white chevron motif frames the main scene within the red bands. The chevron pattern is the key marker of Chamá sty