GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The ancient Maya perfected the art of chipping flint to create flat blades for sacrificial and ceremonial use. The complex shapes of many of these objects have earned them the designation “eccentric flints.” Archaeologists have found them in offertory caches associated with dedication and termination rituals for architecture and stone monuments. This extraordinary flint was reportedly found together with another in the Dallas Museum of Art's collection (1983.45.McD), as part of a cache that included a third example now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.[1] In this example, the four profile heads represent K’awil, the god of royal lineage. The enclosed space at the center suggests an opening to the otherworld.
[1] For more information on the Houston flint, please see the Web Resources section on this page.
Adapted from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Eccentric flint depicting a crocodile canoe with passengers (1983.45.McD) and Eccentric flint with heads of K'awil, the god of royal lineage (2009.26)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 44-45.
NOTES
- Maya, Late Classic, 600–900 C.E. (noted on TMS), updated by KJones on 09/23/13 and 06/18/14.
- Note: Appears on AAMD Object Directory for New Acquisitions of Archaeological Material and Works of Ancient Art [Added to TMS Object Package - AAMD Object Registry - Ancient American for KJones].
- Fun Facts Source: Carol Robbins, DMA unpublished material [DMA unpublished material [Carol Robbins, "Acquisition Proposal," in DMA Object File (2009.26) (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2009 [dated September 24, 2009]), 1-2].
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619
Maya: AAT: 300017826
Lowland Maya: AAT: 300017099
Geography
Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560
Guatemala (nation): TGN: 7005493
Process/materials
flint (rock): AAT: 300011143
carving: AAT: 300053149
chipping: AAT: 300053752
Historical periods
Classic period (Mesoamerican periods and styles): AAT: 300016983
Late Classic period (Mesoamerican periods and styles): AAT: 300016986
Individuals
Subject terms
ritual objects: AAT: 300312158
ceremonial objects: AAT: 300234117
blade (tool and equipment components): AAT: 30002491
cutting (dividing): AAT: 300053069
talismans: AAT: 300234011
tombs: AAT: 300005926
deities: AAT: 300343850
figures: AAT: 300189808
profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319
head: AAT: 300262520
ancestors: AAT: 300255718
genealogies (histories): AAT: 300027015
founders (originators): AAT: 300112017
myth: AAT: 300201023
king: AAT: 300025481
rulers (people): AAT: 300025475
portals: AAT: 300076641
underworld (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300343823
triangles (polygons): AAT: 300009806
triangular (polygonal): AAT: 300263833
God K (K’awil / K'awiil / Maya deity of lightning/fire/royal lineage): DMA
lineage: DMA
eccentric flint: DMA
tok': DMA
RELATED OBJECTS
- The other eccentric flint in the DMA's collection, Eccentric flint depicting a crocodile canoe with passengers (1983.45.McD), and a third flint (Ceremonial Flint with K'awiil and Two Lords in a Monster-Headed Canoe) now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, were found together as part of cache, reportedly in Guatemala. Both eccentric flints (1983.45.McD and 2009.26) were acquired from the collection of Peter Wray, of Phoenix, AZ.
PROVENANCE
1970s: Sr. Castillo, Guatemala [1]
Until 1979: Spencer Throckmorton, New York [1]
1979-1983: Peter G. Wray, Phoenix, AZ [1], [2]
1983-2009: Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Pollock, Jr. (Shirley Jean Philipson, Shirley Pollock) (d. 2008) [1]
From 2009: Dallas Museum of Art, bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Pollock, Jr. [1], [3]
[1] The main source for this provenance is Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) Object Directory for New Acquisitions of Archaeological Material and Works of Ancient Art, 2015, https://aamd.org/object-registry/new-acquisitions-of-archaeological-material-and-works-of-ancient-art/ (February 20, 2015). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] The main source for this provenance is letter from John Lunsford to Harry S. Parker and Steven A. Nash, regarding the Peter Wray collection (dated March 23, 1983, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File (1983.45.McD), Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[3] The main source for this provenance is letter from Bonnie Pitman, The Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art, to Mr. Richard R. Pollock, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Pollock, Jr., regarding approval from Committee on Collections (dated October 09, 2009, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
Museum of Fine Arts Houston~Read more about the flint in the MFAH's collection.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- This eccentric flint, a second flint in the DMA's collection, Eccentric flint depicting a crocodile canoe with passengers (1983.45.McD), and a third flint now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (Ceremonial Flint with K'awiil and Two Lords in a Monster-Headed Canoe) were found together as part of cache, reportedly in Guatemala. All three were acquired from the collection of Peter Wray, Phoenix, AZ. For more information on the Houston flint, please see the Web Resources section on this page.
- This flint can be appreciated on several levels: its material, the process by which it was made, its function, and its iconography. The shape of the flint conforms to the type known as scepters. Although the edges of the "handle" seem rather sharp for holding, that portion of the flint could have been wrapped in cloth. The flint could, therefore, have served as a talisman or power object for a Maya king. In terms of imagery, the most characteristic subject among eccentric flints is a human-like head shown in profile, usually K'awil, the god of royal lineage. In this example, one of the K'awil heads is in the enclosed negative space at the center. The space represents a portal, the entrance to the spirit world. The points that radiate from the outer edge are unusual and contribute to the dramatic effect of this wonderfully compelling object.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 2009.26
Category
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General Description
The ancient Maya perfected the art of chipping flint to create flat blades for sacrificial and ceremonial use. The complex shapes of many of these objects have earned them the designation “eccentric flints.” Archaeologists have found them in offertory caches associated with dedication and termination rituals for architecture and stone monuments. This extraordinary flint was reportedly found together with another in the Dallas Museum of Art's collection (1983.45.McD), as part of a cache that included a third example now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.[1] In this example, the four profile heads represent K’awil, the god of royal lineage. The enclosed space at the center suggests an opening to the otherworld.
[1] For more information on the Houston flint, please see the Web Resources section on this page.
Adapted from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Eccentric flint depicting a crocodile canoe with passengers (1983.45.McD) and Eccentric flint with heads of K'awil, the god of royal lineage (2009.26)," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 44-45.
Fun Facts
- This eccentric flint, a second flint in the DMA's collection, Eccentric flint depicting a crocodile canoe with passengers (1983.45.McD), and a third flint now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (Ceremonial Flint with K'awiil and Two Lords in a Monster-Headed Canoe) were found together as part of cache, reportedly in Guatemala. All three were acquired from the collection of Peter Wray, Phoenix, AZ. For more information on the Houston flint, please see the Web Resources section on this page.
- This flint can be appreciated on several levels: its material, the process by which it was made, its function, and its iconography. The shape of the flint conforms to the type known as scepters. Although the edges of the "handle" seem rather sharp for holding, that portion of the flint could have been wrapped in cloth. The flint could, therefore, have served as a talisman or power object for a Maya king. In terms of imagery, the most characteristic subject among eccentric flints is a human-like head shown in profile, usually K'awil, the god of royal lineage. In this example, one of the K'awil heads is in the enclosed negative space at the center. The space represents a portal, the entrance to the spirit world. The points that radiate from the outer edge are unusual and contribute to the dramatic effect of this wonderfully compelling object.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
- Maya, Late Classic, 600–900 C.E. (noted on TMS), updated by KJones on 09/23/13 and 06/18/14.
- Note: Appears on AAMD Object Directory for New Acquisitions of Archaeological Material and Works of Ancient Art [Added to TMS Object Package - AAMD Object Registry - Ancient American for KJones].
- Fun Facts Source: Carol Robbins, DMA unpublished material [DMA unpublished material [Carol Robbins, "Acquisition Proposal," in DMA Object File (2009.26) (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2009 [dated September 24, 2009]), 1-2].
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619
Maya: AAT: 300017826
Lowland Maya: AAT: 300017099
Geography
Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560
Guatemala (nation): TGN: 7005493
Process/materials
flint (rock): AAT: 300011143
carving: AAT: 300053149
chipping: AAT: 300053752
Historical periods
Classic period (Mesoamerican periods and styles): AAT: 300016983
Late Classic period (Mesoamerican periods and styles): AAT: 300016986
Individuals
Subject terms
ritual objects: AAT: 300312158
ceremonial objects: AAT: 300234117
blade (tool and equipment components): AAT: 30002491
cutting (dividing): AAT: 300053069
talismans: AAT: 300234011
tombs: AAT: 300005926
deities: AAT: 300343850
figures: AAT: 300189808
profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319
head: AAT: 300262520
ancestors: AAT: 300255718
genealogies (histories): AAT: 300027015
founders (originators): AAT: 300112017
myth: AAT: 300201023
king: AAT: 300025481
rulers (people): AAT: 300025475
portals: AAT: 300076641
underworld (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300343823
triangles (polygons): AAT: 300009806
triangular (polygonal): AAT: 300263833
God K (K’awil / K'awiil / Maya deity of lightning/fire/royal lineage): DMA
lineage: DMA
eccentric flint: DMA
tok': DMA
RELATED OBJECTS
- The other eccentric flint in the DMA's collection, Eccentric flint depicting a crocodile canoe with passengers (1983.45.McD), and a third flint (Ceremonial Flint with K'awiil and Two Lords in a Monster-Headed Canoe) now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, were found together as part of cache, reportedly in Guatemala. Both eccentric flints (1983.45.McD and 2009.26) were acquired from the collection of Peter Wray, of Phoenix, AZ.
PROVENANCE
1970s: Sr. Castillo, Guatemala [1]
Until 1979: Spencer Throckmorton, New York [1]
1979-1983: Peter G. Wray, Phoenix, AZ [1], [2]
1983-2009: Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Pollock, Jr. (Shirley Jean Philipson, Shirley Pollock) (d. 2008) [1]
From 2009: Dallas Museum of Art, bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Pollock, Jr. [1], [3]
[1] The main source for this provenance is Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) Object Directory for New Acquisitions of Archaeological Material and Works of Ancient Art, 2015, https://aamd.org/object-registry/new-acquisitions-of-archaeological-material-and-works-of-ancient-art/ (February 20, 2015). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] The main source for this provenance is letter from John Lunsford to Harry S. Parker and Steven A. Nash, regarding the Peter Wray collection (dated March 23, 1983, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File (1983.45.McD), Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[3] The main source for this provenance is letter from Bonnie Pitman, The Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art, to Mr. Richard R. Pollock, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Pollock, Jr., regarding approval from Committee on Collections (dated October 09, 2009, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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Objects
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2009.26
source file
object_notes_3_a-0775.xml.nores