The Itzamnaaj Court Vase features a magnificent scene that rivals that of the Vase of the Seven Gods. The scene depicts the court of Itzamnaaj, hence the vessel’s nickname, where Itzamnaaj is presiding over God I’s accession to rulership over Six Sky. Erik Boot’s 2008 article on the vase, despite being nearly twenty years old, is not only still up to date, but the best analysis of the vase currently out there. If I were to cover the scene in depth, as I did with the Vase of the Seven Gods, I would merely be repeating much of what Boot has already established. Instead, I will give a brief overview of the scene, as I still wish to share my illustrations of the vase, and a short discussion on the significance of this court scene in comparison to others, such as the previously mentioned Vase of the Seven Gods.

The scene itself is separated into four sections. In the top right sits the elderly deity Itzamnaaj, with Yax Kokaaj Muut, also known as the Principal Bird Deity, perched behind him (Figure 2). Facing them in the top left of the scene are three more deities. God I of the Palenque Triad appears upfront, with K’inich Ajaw and Chahk behind him. All three are sitting upon a skyband (Figure 3). Below Itzamnaaj and Yax Kokaaj Muut in the bottom right of the scene are three animal scribes, from left to right, they are a dog, an oppossum, and a vulture (Figure 4). Across from the animal scribes in the bottom right are four more supernatural characters, which Boot describes as anthropomorphic scribes and artisans (2008:8) (Figure 5).

As Boot points out, the scene depicted directly mirrors that on the Temple XIX Bench at Palenque (2008:22), where Janab Ajaw, who is impersonating Itzamnaaj, oversees K’inich Ahkal Mo Nahb’s accession to the throne as he impersonates God I (Stuart 2005:117-122). A Jade mask depicting GI describes a similar scene with God I and Itzamnaaj that takes place on the creation date of 4 Ajaw 8 K’umku (Stuart 2005:165). It is especially interesting to me, and likely very significant, that GI has a central role in an event in the court of Itzamnaaj (God D) on this creation date, the same date on which the Jaguar War God has a central role in an event in the court of Itzamaat (God L). The parallels here are quite interesting. God I, who represents Venus at dawn, wears the “Jester God” headband in the Court of Itzamnaaj, the celestial elderly deity, while the Jaguar War God, who represents Venus at dusk, wears the same “Jester God” headband when in the court of Itzamaat, the underworld elderly deity. While there are three known Vases of the Seven/Eleven Gods, there is only one of the scenes described here. It is my hope that in the future, more will come forth to shed light on these enigmatic characters.

Sources
Justin Kerr photograph collection, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, DC.
Boot, Erik
2008 At the Court of Itzam Nah Yax Kokaj Mut: Preliminary Iconographic and Epigraphic Analysis of a Late Classic Vessel. Mayavase.com.
Coe, Michael D., and Stephen Houston
2022 The Maya. Tenth Edition. Thames & Hudson.
Crim, Alexander
2025 The Vases of the Seven and Eleven Gods: A New Interpretation. IMS Explorer 53, no. 9 (2025): 1, 3–4.
Stuart, David
2005 The Inscriptions from Temple XIX at Palenque: A Commentary. The Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute.