K4333 is a carved vessel with a rounded bottom from the Late Classic period. The style of the vessel, as well as a name mentioned in the glyphs, would suggest an origin in the Chochola area of the Yucatan (Miller and Martin 2004:146). While the vase features a few cracks, they are not major, and I believe that they have been filled in, as they are no longer visible if you visit Dumbarton Oaks, where the vessel is currently on display.

The scene on K4333 (Figure 1) is a relatively simple one, as it only depicts one figure, God I of the Palenque Triad (GI) (Figure 2). He can be recognized by the singular, large tooth, the spondylus shell ear, the large eye, and the fish barbel attached to the corner of his mouth. While depictions of GI are often mistaken for Chahk, who has a clear zoomorphic face, this character is clearly GI, as his face retains the human nose and mouth. Surrounding him are some curved designs that share iconography with both fire and water. The way that one half of each curved design curves down and the other faces up is reminiscent of K’AHK’ ‘fire’ glyphs; however, the dots inside of them that vary in size are reminiscent of patterns on POLAW ‘sea’ glyphs. This combination of fire and water elements may be a reference to k’ahk’ nahb, “fiery pool,” in reference to the way the sun lights up the eastern sea at dawn. This interpretation fits well, given GI’s strong connections to both the sea and dawn. In his outstretched hand, GI holds a manopla, a weapon used for boxing. Attached to the manopla is what might be the shark variant of the Jester God, the Xok Adornment (Stuart 2012:129).

In addition to the depiction of GI, K4333 also features a glyphic inscription (Figure 3 and Table 1). The glyphs are positioned diagonally and can be read from the top right to the bottom left, and they are a fairly standard inscription, stating that the vessel belongs to a lord of Dzibilchaltun (Looper and Macri 1991-2026).

Glyph	Transcription	Transliteration	Translation
A1	u-ja-yi	ujaay	his cup
A2	ch’o-ko	ch’ok	youth
A3	aj	aj	he of
A4	ch’a-ch’a-jo	??	??
A5	ya-at-kan-nu	yaat kaan	Yaat Kaan T’i Jo
A6	ti-i-jo	ti’ jo’	(Dzibilchaltun)

Sources
Justin Kerr photograph collection, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, DC.
Looper, Matthew G. and Martha J. Macri
1991-2026 Maya Hieroglyphic Database. Department of Art and Art History, California State University, Chico. http://www.mayadatabase.org
Miller, Mary, and Simon Martin
Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya. Thames & Hudson.
Stuart, David
The Name of Paper: The Mythology of Crowning and Royal Nomenclature on Palenque’s Palace Tablet. In Maya Archaeology 2, edited by Charles Golden, Stephen Houston, and Joel Skidmore, pp. 116-148. Precolumbia Mesoweb Press.