The goblet shape of the vessel and its painting are typical of Cholula-Catalina pottery. Decorative bands are painted on a reddish-yellow background. The central band shows an "eye" or "star" motif, in which stylised calendar symbols can be seen below the rim. Due to the unmistakable correspondence with the iconography of the codices, this type of painting is also referred to as codex style. The pottery from Cholula was among the most skilfully crafted in the Aztec empire and was traded throughout central Mexico, as the nobility insisted on dining on Cholula crockery. The vessel was acquired by the Puebla-based German consul Joseph Dorenberg before 1889. He is also known as a collector of codices. (V. König, 2003)