An artwork on Galleree from Cleveland Museum of Art.
About the artwork
Panel with Royal Womanc. 795
In this panel, probably from a palace interior, the woman’s static posture contrasts with the liveliness of the creature she holds, a god of royalty with a serpent leg and a grotesque head with a smoking torch on its brow. (The same deity is shown in the nearby Eccentric Flint.) Other signs of high rank are her jade jewelry and costume, its beauty suggesting that textiles and featherwork were great Maya arts, now lost to a tropical climate. The hieroglyphics refer to an undefined ritual that the woman completed in 795.
This panel, likely from a palace interior, depicts a royal Maya woman.
limestone
Overall: 60.4 x 69.8 cm (23 3/4 x 27 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
In a sunlit chamber of a long-forgotten palace, a woman stands still, her figure imbued with an air of quiet strength. Her posture, rigid yet dignified, creates a striking contrast with the creature cradled in her arms—a representation of royalty that is anything but ordinary. This being, adorned with a serpent for a leg, and sporting a grotesque head crowned by a smoking torch, embodies the fervor and complexity of a vivid myth. Nearby, another depiction of this enigmatic deity, the Eccentric Flint, adds to the colorful tapestry of the past.
Around the woman, luxury speaks in whispers. Her jade jewelry glimmers like the stars, accentuating her high status among the lofty ranks of her society. Each gem shines with a story of its own, perhaps hinting at the skills of the artisans who forged them. The magnificent costume she wears—a masterpiece of textiles and featherwork—captures the eye, though sadly, many such works have since surrendered to the relentless grasp of the tropical climate.
Glimmers of hieroglyphics snake across the panel, their symbols intricately woven into the fabric of the scene. They reveal a piece of the woman's life steeped in mystery, referring to an undefined ritual that she completed in the year 795. What had she willingly laid before the gods? What emotions had danced in her heart, hidden behind her serene facade? This tranquil moment in time invites us not only to observe but to ponder the stories that remain locked in the silent dialogue of ancient art, beckoning us to explore the depths of history from a place of profound reflection.
About the artist
Creating transformative experiences through art “for the benefit of all the people forever.”The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The artworks shared on this platform are sourced from the museum's Open Access data under the CC0 license. No endorsement is implied.Address: 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH, USA 44106
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