ETHAM 050517

Stèle Maya représentant un souverain effectuant un rituel d'aspersion

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050517
Maya stele showing a high ranking figure
Mexico? Guatemala? Central lowlands
Maya. 7th – 8th century
Stone
Acquired in Geneva in 1978
MEG Inv. ETHAM 050517
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This limestone sculpture is the upper part of a Maya stele dating from the 7th-8th century AD. On this fragment, the man’s body follows the stylistic conventions of the late classical period, with the head in profile and the torso in a frontal position. He is wearing the mask of a deity and a large feather headdress. On the left side of the stele, five glyphs, partly eroded, are aligned vertically just in front of his face, indicating a calendar date somewhere between 650 and 790. The glyphs, the designs on his tunic, his headdress and the jewellery he is wearing, suggest it is the portrait of a king (ajaw) from the late classical period.

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Pre- Columbian Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica is a cultural area stretching from Mexico to the north of Costa Rica. This region has witnessed outstanding cultural and economic achievements: the beginnings of agriculture, the development of complex societies, trade, writing systems and calendars. The Zapotecs and Mayas in the south and the Aztecs in the central plateau of Mexico figure among the most remarkable pre-Columbian cultures.

Bibliograpy

  • SCHOEPF, Daniel. 1995. Autoportraits du Nouveau Monde: collection précolombienne. Aoste : Priuli & Verlucca / Musée d'ethnographie de Genève, MEG - ET AM 2368

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