GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Monumental Maya stone sculpture took the form of free-standing stela and plaza altars, or architectural door lintels and wall panels. The sculptures often combine an elaborate figural scene with hieroglyphic texts, which may appear both outside of and embedded within the figuration. These texts often record the subject’s name and event, as well as its celebrated date within the Maya calendar system.
The low-relief sculpture represents a Maya elite woman adorned in ritual regalia. The text identifies her as Ix K’an Bolon, or Lady Yellow Nine (or Lady Precious Nine). She is dressed in an elaborate feather headdress, beaded collar, and open-work jade-bead skirt. The skirt refers to images of the Maize god and renders Lady K’an Bolon in the guise of a goddess, identified in the text. Ix K’an Bolon carries a scepter that represents K’awil (or God K), referencing her ruling status.
The remains of blue and red paint suggest that the sculpture once lined a building wall or door jamb; this placement protected the panel from rain and erosion. Represented in profile, Ix K’an Bolon likely faced in toward an entranceway, paired with an image on the opposing side. The latter may have been her husband, K’inich Kuch Bahlam, who was defeated by Piedras Negras in 792 CE. In addition to identifying Lady K’an Bolon, the text cites her role as “she who opens the earth at Chak Ich’aak Kab Ek’ ,” referring to the establishment of Pomona through its ancient name of “Red-Claw-Earth-Star.” [1]
[1] Current translation of the text courtesy of David Stuart, University of Texas at Austin.
Excerpt from
Kimberly L. Jones, PhD, DMA unpublished material, 2014.
NOTES
- Maya, Late Classic period, 790 C.E. (noted on TMS), updated by KJones on 06/19/14, 03/14/16, and 01/11/17.
- Updated geography in TMS, Tabasco, probably Pomoná (deserted settlement): TGN: 7032782.
- Fun Facts Sources: TMS, Notes/Curatorial Remarks, Carol Robbins, March 20, 1991; David Stuart, personal PowerPoint.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619
Maya: AAT: 300017826
Lowland Maya: AAT: 300017099
Geography
Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560
Tabasco (state): TGN: 7005596
Pomoná (deserted settlement): TGN: 7032782
Process/materials
stucco: AAT: 300014966
paint (coating): AAT: 300015029
carving: AAT: 300053149
relief (sculpture techniques): AAT: 300053622
limestone (rock): AAT: 300011286
Historical periods
Classic (mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016983
Late Classic Period: AAT: 300016986
Individuals
Maize God (Hun Hunahpu / First Father / Mesoamerican and Maya deity): DMA
Subject terms
lintels (structural elements): AAT: 300003161
panels (surface components): AAT: 300069079
historic monuments: AAT: 300007031
ceremonial structures: AAT: 300263489
deities: AAT: 300343850
figures: AAT: 300189808
human figures: AAT: 300404114
queens (people): AAT: 300025483
rulers (people): AAT: 300025475
woman: AAT: 300025943
portrait: AAT: 300015637
profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319
standing: AAT: 300239500
cartouches (ornament): AAT: 300010256
hieroglyphics (scripts / writing): AAT: 300028721
Maya (Classical Mayan language): AAT: 300388844
ancestors: AAT: 300255718
genealogies (histories): AAT: 300027015
founders (originators): AAT: 300112017
creation (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300069002
myth: AAT: 300201023
God K (K’awil / K'awiil / Maya deity of lightning/fire/royal lineage): DMA
Piedras Negras (deserted settlement): TGN: 1016688
blood: AAT: 300011797
necklaces: AAT: 300046001
pectorals (jewelry): AAT: 300211902
bracelets (jewelry): AAT: 300045991
earspools: AAT: 300209300
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1968: Everett Rassiga, Inc. (Everett Rassiga), New York [1]
From 1968: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Clark, purchased from the above [2], [3]
[1] The main source for this provenance is Everett Rassiga Inc.'s invoice (dated September 18, 1968, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
[3] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
- 253364191: UMO. [Caption] Wall panel depicting Ix K'an Bolon in ritual dress (1968.39.FA), drawing by Peter Mathews. Source: Courtesy of David Stuart, personal communication.
- 253364044: UMO. [Caption] 1968.39.FA, Glyph A1: U-BAAH-li (ubaahil) “the image of,” drawing by John Lunsford. Source: Scanned drawings available in TMS Object Record: Related / Media.
- 253364058: UMO. [Caption] 1968.39.FA, Glyph B1: a-AHN (ahn) “avatar?,” drawing by John Lunsford. Source: Scanned drawings available in TMS Object Record: Related / Media.
- 253364072: UMO. [Caption] 1968.39.FA, Glyph B3: K’UH (k’uh) “god,” drawing by John Lunsford. Source: Scanned drawings available in TMS Object Record: Related / Media.
- 253364086: UMO. [Caption] 1968.39.FA, Glyph B4: IX-K’AN BOLON (Ix K’an Bolon) “Lady Yellow-Nine / Lady Precious Nine,” drawing by John Lunsford. Source: Scanned drawings available in TMS Object Record: Related / Media.
- 253364100: UMO. [Caption] 1968.39.FA, Glyph B5: ha-I (ha’i) “she who,” drawing by John Lunsford. Source: Scanned drawings available in TMS Object Record: Related / Media.
- 253364114: UMO. [Caption] 1968.39.FA, Glyph B6: PAS-wi (paswi) “opens,” drawing by John Lunsford. Source: Scanned drawings available in TMS Object Record: Related / Media.
- 253364128: UMO. [Caption] 1968.39.FA, Glyph B7: ka-ba (kab) “earth” (“settles a site”), drawing by John Lunsford. Source: Scanned drawings available in TMS Object Record: Related / Media.
- 253364142: UMO. [Caption] 1968.39.FA, Glyph B8: CHAK-ICH’AAK-KAB-EK’ “at Chak Ich’aak Kab Ek” (“at Red-Claw-Earth-Star” or Pomona), drawing by John Lunsford. Source: Scanned drawings available in TMS Object Record: Related / Media.
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- The back of the panel was cut in ancient times with stone tools, as was the lower edge. The panel was never "thinned" from a larger slab (stela) using modern tools. Therefore, this is its original thickness and length. It is too thin and has an insufficient "butt" to have been a freestanding stela. The quantity of stucco and paint remaining on the panel suggests that it was protected by architecture. Wall panels of this size are known from the Palenque-Xupa-Jonuta region of Chiapas and Tabasco. They were placed on the door jambs and front walls of sanctuaries within larger structures and, like this piece, are extraordinarily well preserved.
- Full translation of the text courtesy of David Stuart, UT Austin: The image of, avatar?, ? Woman, god, Lady Yellow-Nine / Lady Precious Nine, she who, opens, earth (“settles a site”), at Chak Ich’aak Kab Ek (at Red-Claw-Earth-Star / Pomona) [U-BAAH-li (ubaahil), a-AHN (ahn), ?-IXIK (? Ixik), K’UH (k’uh), IX-K’AN BOLON (Ix K’an Bolon), ha-I (ha’i), PAS-wi (paswi), ka-ba (kab), CHAK-ICH’AAK-KAB-EK’].
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1968.39.FA
Category
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General Description
Monumental Maya stone sculpture took the form of free-standing stela and plaza altars, or architectural door lintels and wall panels. The sculptures often combine an elaborate figural scene with hieroglyphic texts, which may appear both outside of and embedded within the figuration. These texts often record the subject’s name and event, as well as its celebrated date within the Maya calendar system.
The low-relief sculpture represents a Maya elite woman adorned in ritual regalia. The text identifies her as Ix K’an Bolon, or Lady Yellow Nine (or Lady Precious Nine). She is dressed in an elaborate feather headdress, beaded collar, and open-work jade-bead skirt. The skirt refers to images of the Maize god and renders Lady K’an Bolon in the guise of a goddess, identified in the text. Ix K’an Bolon carries a scepter that represents K’awil (or God K), referencing her ruling status.
The remains of blue and red paint suggest that the sculpture once lined a building wall or door jamb; this placement protected the panel from rain and erosion. Represented in profile, Ix K’an Bolon likely faced in toward an entranceway, paired with an image on the opposing side. The latter may have been her husband, K’inich Kuch Bahlam, who was defeated by Piedras Negras in 792 CE. In addition to identifying Lady K’an Bolon, the text cites her role as “she who opens the earth at Chak Ich’aak Kab Ek’ ,” referring to the establishment of Pomona through its ancient name of “Red-Claw-Earth-Star.” [1]
[1] Current translation of the text courtesy of David Stuart, University of Texas at Austin.
Excerpt from
Kimberly L. Jones, PhD, DMA unpublished material, 2014.
Fun Facts
- The back of the panel was cut in ancient times with stone tools, as was the lower edge. The panel was never "thinned" from a larger slab (stela) using modern tools. Therefore, this is its original thickness and length. It is too thin and has an insufficient "butt" to have been a freestanding stela. The quantity of stucco and paint remaining on the panel suggests that it was protected by architecture. Wall panels of this size are known from the Palenque-Xupa-Jonuta region of Chiapas and Tabasco. They were placed on the door jambs and front walls of sanctuaries within larger structures and, like this piece, are extraordinarily well preserved.
- Full translation of the text courtesy of David Stuart, UT Austin: The image of, avatar?, ? Woman, god, Lady Yellow-Nine / Lady Precious Nine, she who, opens, earth (“settles a site”), at Chak Ich’aak Kab Ek (at Red-Claw-Earth-Star / Pomona) [U-BAAH-li (ubaahil), a-AHN (ahn), ?-IXIK (? Ixik), K’UH (k’uh), IX-K’AN BOLON (Ix K’an Bolon), ha-I (ha’i), PAS-wi (paswi), ka-ba (kab), CHAK-ICH’AAK-KAB-EK’].
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
- Maya, Late Classic period, 790 C.E. (noted on TMS), updated by KJones on 06/19/14, 03/14/16, and 01/11/17.
- Updated geography in TMS, Tabasco, probably Pomoná (deserted settlement): TGN: 7032782.
- Fun Facts Sources: TMS, Notes/Curatorial Remarks, Carol Robbins, March 20, 1991; David Stuart, personal PowerPoint.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619
Maya: AAT: 300017826
Lowland Maya: AAT: 300017099
Geography
Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560
Tabasco (state): TGN: 7005596
Pomoná (deserted settlement): TGN: 7032782
Process/materials
stucco: AAT: 300014966
paint (coating): AAT: 300015029
carving: AAT: 300053149
relief (sculpture techniques): AAT: 300053622
limestone (rock): AAT: 300011286
Historical periods
Classic (mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016983
Late Classic Period: AAT: 300016986
Individuals
Maize God (Hun Hunahpu / First Father / Mesoamerican and Maya deity): DMA
Subject terms
lintels (structural elements): AAT: 300003161
panels (surface components): AAT: 300069079
historic monuments: AAT: 300007031
ceremonial structures: AAT: 300263489
deities: AAT: 300343850
figures: AAT: 300189808
human figures: AAT: 300404114
queens (people): AAT: 300025483
rulers (people): AAT: 300025475
woman: AAT: 300025943
portrait: AAT: 300015637
profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319
standing: AAT: 300239500
cartouches (ornament): AAT: 300010256
hieroglyphics (scripts / writing): AAT: 300028721
Maya (Classical Mayan language): AAT: 300388844
ancestors: AAT: 300255718
genealogies (histories): AAT: 300027015
founders (originators): AAT: 300112017
creation (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300069002
myth: AAT: 300201023
God K (K’awil / K'awiil / Maya deity of lightning/fire/royal lineage): DMA
Piedras Negras (deserted settlement): TGN: 1016688
blood: AAT: 300011797
necklaces: AAT: 300046001
pectorals (jewelry): AAT: 300211902
bracelets (jewelry): AAT: 300045991
earspools: AAT: 300209300
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1968: Everett Rassiga, Inc. (Everett Rassiga), New York [1]
From 1968: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Clark, purchased from the above [2], [3]
[1] The main source for this provenance is Everett Rassiga Inc.'s invoice (dated September 18, 1968, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
[3] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
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