plate/platter
REPRODUCTION of tripod plate of Chac.
This single image encompasses the entire Maya cosmos and synthesizes all of the imagery that was integral to the lives and functions of kings. It explains the rationale behind accession, the role of bloodletting, the nature of the vision produced, the necessity of sacrifice, the inevitability of death and the possibility of renewal. The Celestial Monster and its journey above the world represent the heavens and the movement of the stars and planets; the Afterlife and the deadly world of Xibalba lie below the world. The waters of the earth float up from the bloody waters of the Underworld where the dead reside before apotheosis. The temporal action depicted is simply an astronomical event - the first appearance of the Evening Star -but also, on a deeper symbolic level, the rise of this star represented kingly activity, the cycle of human life and a source of social cohesion.
General Information: 13 Chicchan 8 Zotz Iconographic Elements: Axe, Birds, Noh Kaan, Och Chan, God3, Baby Jaguar, Inscription - Other Text, Jaguar, Water Lily Jaguar, Venus Glyph, Star Glyph T510, Chak, Chac, Rain God. Kerr Number: 1609
- Object: plate/platter
- Artist: Patricia Martin Morales
- Circa: 600-800CE
- Dimensions: 36cm D x 5cm H
- Culture Area: central america
- Cultural Group: Maya
- Cultural Context: 115.067 - Mesoamerican Cosmic Plate This ceramic plate was made by a contemporary artist and is a reproduction of a 7th-8th century CE Mayan tripod plate. This tripod plate was nicknamed the “Cosmic Plate” for its dense imagery, and cosmogonic themes and was researched by Maya iconography experts Linda Schele and Mary Miller who published their observations in the book, “The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art.” The original plate is considered Maya late classic, and is an object likely made for feasting occasions or to be put on display, it is ceramic with red, cream, and black slip. It features many iconographic elements but none are more prominent than Chaac, who is the Mayan rain deity. The artwork shows Chaac wading in the center between the Arc of the Heavens and the Arc of the Underworld. Most of the writing on the plate is no longer visible, however the name la-ch’a TUUN ni si k’u AJAW is inscribed, and while nothing else is known about who this individual may have been, they had the title Ajaw which was reserved for leaders, kings, and indicates prominent social standing. http://www.flickr.com/photos/10610528@N04/46128175325/
- Donor: Museum Purchase
- Catalog #: 115.067