GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This vessel is painted in what scholars call the “Codex style” because it resembles the painting of Maya books and manuscripts. It shows a mythical dance in which the god Chac (Chak) competes against the greatest of the death gods, Kimi. Maya nobles reenacted such mythological scenes, dancing in swirling “seas” of incense and smoke during ceremonial pageants and performances.
Adapted from
Carol Robbins, Label text [1983.149 and 1991.44], A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.
NOTES
- Maya, Late Classic, 600–850 C.E. (noted on TMS), updated by KJones on 07/23/14 and 04/10/17.
- Updated medium from "Ceramic, Red slip, white slip, black slip, Codex Style" to Ceramic, slips; noted previous data in Description field.
- Updated Constituent Record for The Metropolitan Vase Painter (ID: 98831) -- added Culture: Maya, Nationality: Mayan, Historical Dates: 600-900, Geography XRefs: Mexico and Guatemala, Alternate Name (Variant): The Metropolitan Master.
- Fun Facts Source: TMS, Notes/Curatorial Remarks, n.d; TMS [1991.44], Acquisition Justification, July 13, 2009 [1991].
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
attribution (analytical functions): AAT: 300056109
The Metropolitan Vase Painter (The Metropolitan Master / Maya ceramicist): DMA
Cultures
Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619
Maya: AAT: 300017826
Lowland Maya: AAT: 300017099
Geography
Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560
Guatemala (nation): TGN: 7005493
Process/materials
ceramic (material): AAT: 300235507
slip (clay): AAT: 300010459
slip glaze: AAT: 300015110
paint (coating): AAT: 300015029
pigment: AAT: 300013109
clay: AAT: 300010439
polychrome: AAT: 300252261
coiling (pottery technique): AAT: 300053903
modeling (forming): AAT: 300053130
firing (technique): AAT: 300053887
Historical periods
Classic (mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016983
Late Classic Period: AAT: 300016986
Individuals
Subject terms
vessels (containers): AAT: 300193015
cups (drinking vessels): AAT: ID: 300043202
ritual vessels: AAT: 300265801
codex-style (Maya area pottery styles): AAT: 300379257
books: AAT: 300028051
manuscripts (document genre): AAT: 300028569
figures: AAT: 300189808
profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319
dancer: AAT: 300025653
dance (discipline): AAT: 300054144
dancing: AAT: 300389779
processions: AAT: 300069290
rituals (events): AAT: 300065284
ceremonies: AAT: 300054754
performances (entertainment events): AAT: 300069200
pageants: AAT: 300069240
myth: AAT: 300201023
mythology (literary genre): AAT: 300055985
deities: AAT: 300343850
God B (Chac / Chak / Chaak / Chac-Xib-Chac / Maya deity of rain and lightning): DMA
God A (Kimi / Hunhau / skeletal god of death / Lord of the Underworld / Maya death deity): DMA
Death (allegorical character / figure): CONA: 1000239
Death (allegorical character / figure): DMA
skeletons (animal components): AAT: 300191778
nobility (nobles / aristocracy): AAT: 300025942
rulers (people): AAT: 300025475
king: AAT: 300025481
supernatural (concepts): AAT: 300055947
underworld (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300343823
water: AAT: 300011772
seas: AAT: 300008694
smoke (material): AAT: 300073252
incense: AAT: 300265591
headdress: AAT: 300046023
loincloths (main garments): AAT: 300209923
necklaces: AAT: 300046001
earspools: AAT: 300209300
bracelets (jewelry): AAT: 300045991
pectorals (jewelry): AAT: 300211902
cartouches (ornament): AAT: 300010256
hieroglyphics (scripts / writing): AAT: 300028721
Maya (Classical Mayan language): AAT: 300388844
histories (literature genre): AAT: 300026358
Popol Vuh (Popol Wuj / Quiché Maya mythological historical account): DMA
heroes: AAT: 300236801
twins: AAT: 300263240
Hero Twins (Hunahpu and Xbalanque / Maya creation deities): DMA
conjure (events): DMA
ancestors: AAT: 300255718
spirit: AAT: 300379007
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Peter G. Wray, Phoenix, AZ [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Freeman Family Fund, purchased at auction, "Pre-Columbian Art," Sotheby's, New York, May 14, 1991, lot 92, sale 6177 [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]
[1] The main source for this provenance was existing provenance information in TMS. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] The main source for this provenance is auction catalogue, Sotheby's New York, Pre-Columbian Art, May 14, 1991 (New York, NY: Sotheby's, 1991) (copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[3] The main source for this provenance is letter from Carolyn Tate, Associate Curator of Pre-Columbian Art the Dallas Museum of Art, to Beverly and Don Freeman (dated June 06, 1991, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[4] The main source for this provenance is letter from Carolyn Tate, Associate Curator of Pre-Columbian Art the Dallas Museum of Art, to Beverly and Don Freeman (dated July 01, 1991, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[5] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Record (dated June 25, 1991, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[6] The main source for this provenance is Deed of Gift from Beverly and Don Freeman (dated July 08, 1991, 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
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- The lively style is attributed to a group of pots that originate in the central Petén of Guatemala, called the Codex-style. This small vase is one of about eight known that show an aspect of this victory of the Hero Twins. It and the others are published in the Maya Book of the Dead by Francis Robicsek and Donald Hales. It is very likely the same artist painted this vase and the well-known one in the Metropolitan Museum in New York (1978.412.206). The MET's Vase is slightly larger and has been touched up. The DMA's cylinder vase, however, appears not to have been repainted at all. The surface is slightly scuffed, exactly as a vase used in ceremony would be. Only three inches tall, it likely functioned as a personal drinking cup.
- This vase illustrates the Hero Twins' cunning victory over the Lords of the Underworld by sacrificing each other, a crucial moment in Maya mythology. One Lord (Hunahpu), the elder Twin, swings two axes at his younger brother, Jaguar Sun (Xbalanque), killing him. Jaguar Sun, the small figure lying on the earth monster altar, awaits his fate. Bone Master, also known as God A, reaches out gleefully to grab the victim. In the next moment in the narrative of the Hero Twins, told in the book called Popol Vuh, One Lord revives his brother and the Lords of the Underworld excitedly ask the Twins to perform this trick on them. They oblige, but do not revive the evil Lords, thereby making the world safe for human habitation. A short sequence of hieroglyphs reinforce the theme of sacrifice. The hieroglyphs read: 7 Cib 4 Kayab, (an eroded glyph), tz'ak-ah (tzak). Roughly translated, this is a Calendar Round date, the eroded glyph, and the "hand-grasping-fish" verb which most likely means to grasp, grab, conjure, or to appear, and may refer to communication with ancestors and spirits in the supernatural realm as well as blood sacrifice and/or self-sacrifice (blood-letting).
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1991.44
Category
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General Description
This vessel is painted in what scholars call the “Codex style” because it resembles the painting of Maya books and manuscripts. It shows a mythical dance in which the god Chac (Chak) competes against the greatest of the death gods, Kimi. Maya nobles reenacted such mythological scenes, dancing in swirling “seas” of incense and smoke during ceremonial pageants and performances.
Adapted from
Carol Robbins, Label text [1983.149 and 1991.44], A. H. Meadows Galleries, 2010.
Fun Facts
- The lively style is attributed to a group of pots that originate in the central Petén of Guatemala, called the Codex-style. This small vase is one of about eight known that show an aspect of this victory of the Hero Twins. It and the others are published in the Maya Book of the Dead by Francis Robicsek and Donald Hales. It is very likely the same artist painted this vase and the well-known one in the Metropolitan Museum in New York (1978.412.206). The MET's Vase is slightly larger and has been touched up. The DMA's cylinder vase, however, appears not to have been repainted at all. The surface is slightly scuffed, exactly as a vase used in ceremony would be. Only three inches tall, it likely functioned as a personal drinking cup.
- This vase illustrates the Hero Twins' cunning victory over the Lords of the Underworld by sacrificing each other, a crucial moment in Maya mythology. One Lord (Hunahpu), the elder Twin, swings two axes at his younger brother, Jaguar Sun (Xbalanque), killing him. Jaguar Sun, the small figure lying on the earth monster altar, awaits his fate. Bone Master, also known as God A, reaches out gleefully to grab the victim. In the next moment in the narrative of the Hero Twins, told in the book called Popol Vuh, One Lord revives his brother and the Lords of the Underworld excitedly ask the Twins to perform this trick on them. They oblige, but do not revive the evil Lords, thereby making the world safe for human habitation. A short sequence of hieroglyphs reinforce the theme of sacrifice. The hieroglyphs read: 7 Cib 4 Kayab, (an eroded glyph), tz'ak-ah (tzak). Roughly translated, this is a Calendar Round date, the eroded glyph, and the "hand-grasping-fish" verb which most likely means to grasp, grab, conjure, or to appear, and may refer to communication with ancestors and spirits in the supernatural realm as well as blood sacrifice and/or self-sacrifice (blood-letting).
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
- Maya, Late Classic, 600–850 C.E. (noted on TMS), updated by KJones on 07/23/14 and 04/10/17.
- Updated medium from "Ceramic, Red slip, white slip, black slip, Codex Style" to Ceramic, slips; noted previous data in Description field.
- Updated Constituent Record for The Metropolitan Vase Painter (ID: 98831) -- added Culture: Maya, Nationality: Mayan, Historical Dates: 600-900, Geography XRefs: Mexico and Guatemala, Alternate Name (Variant): The Metropolitan Master.
- Fun Facts Source: TMS, Notes/Curatorial Remarks, n.d; TMS [1991.44], Acquisition Justification, July 13, 2009 [1991].
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
attribution (analytical functions): AAT: 300056109
The Metropolitan Vase Painter (The Metropolitan Master / Maya ceramicist): DMA
Cultures
Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619
Maya: AAT: 300017826
Lowland Maya: AAT: 300017099
Geography
Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560
Guatemala (nation): TGN: 7005493
Process/materials
ceramic (material): AAT: 300235507
slip (clay): AAT: 300010459
slip glaze: AAT: 300015110
paint (coating): AAT: 300015029
pigment: AAT: 300013109
clay: AAT: 300010439
polychrome: AAT: 300252261
coiling (pottery technique): AAT: 300053903
modeling (forming): AAT: 300053130
firing (technique): AAT: 300053887
Historical periods
Classic (mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016983
Late Classic Period: AAT: 300016986
Individuals
Subject terms
vessels (containers): AAT: 300193015
cups (drinking vessels): AAT: ID: 300043202
ritual vessels: AAT: 300265801
codex-style (Maya area pottery styles): AAT: 300379257
books: AAT: 300028051
manuscripts (document genre): AAT: 300028569
figures: AAT: 300189808
profiles (figures): AAT: 300123319
dancer: AAT: 300025653
dance (discipline): AAT: 300054144
dancing: AAT: 300389779
processions: AAT: 300069290
rituals (events): AAT: 300065284
ceremonies: AAT: 300054754
performances (entertainment events): AAT: 300069200
pageants: AAT: 300069240
myth: AAT: 300201023
mythology (literary genre): AAT: 300055985
deities: AAT: 300343850
God B (Chac / Chak / Chaak / Chac-Xib-Chac / Maya deity of rain and lightning): DMA
God A (Kimi / Hunhau / skeletal god of death / Lord of the Underworld / Maya death deity): DMA
Death (allegorical character / figure): CONA: 1000239
Death (allegorical character / figure): DMA
skeletons (animal components): AAT: 300191778
nobility (nobles / aristocracy): AAT: 300025942
rulers (people): AAT: 300025475
king: AAT: 300025481
supernatural (concepts): AAT: 300055947
underworld (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300343823
water: AAT: 300011772
seas: AAT: 300008694
smoke (material): AAT: 300073252
incense: AAT: 300265591
headdress: AAT: 300046023
loincloths (main garments): AAT: 300209923
necklaces: AAT: 300046001
earspools: AAT: 300209300
bracelets (jewelry): AAT: 300045991
pectorals (jewelry): AAT: 300211902
cartouches (ornament): AAT: 300010256
hieroglyphics (scripts / writing): AAT: 300028721
Maya (Classical Mayan language): AAT: 300388844
histories (literature genre): AAT: 300026358
Popol Vuh (Popol Wuj / Quiché Maya mythological historical account): DMA
heroes: AAT: 300236801
twins: AAT: 300263240
Hero Twins (Hunahpu and Xbalanque / Maya creation deities): DMA
conjure (events): DMA
ancestors: AAT: 300255718
spirit: AAT: 300379007
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Peter G. Wray, Phoenix, AZ [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Freeman Family Fund, purchased at auction, "Pre-Columbian Art," Sotheby's, New York, May 14, 1991, lot 92, sale 6177 [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]
[1] The main source for this provenance was existing provenance information in TMS. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] The main source for this provenance is auction catalogue, Sotheby's New York, Pre-Columbian Art, May 14, 1991 (New York, NY: Sotheby's, 1991) (copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[3] The main source for this provenance is letter from Carolyn Tate, Associate Curator of Pre-Columbian Art the Dallas Museum of Art, to Beverly and Don Freeman (dated June 06, 1991, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[4] The main source for this provenance is letter from Carolyn Tate, Associate Curator of Pre-Columbian Art the Dallas Museum of Art, to Beverly and Don Freeman (dated July 01, 1991, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[5] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Record (dated June 25, 1991, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[6] The main source for this provenance is Deed of Gift from Beverly and Don Freeman (dated July 08, 1991, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File, Confidential). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
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1991.44
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object_notes_3_a-0794.xml.nores