what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel

In Lintel 24, he is depicted holding a torch above his first wife, Lady Xoc. CUNO: So he and the Lambs and were interested in Laxtunich. Its about supporters of the king but its taken into an entirely different direction. And he was well known for guiding and promoting the Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe. In addition to her patterned huipil (square-cut blouse), Lady Xook is festooned with a headdress, elaborate bracelets, earrings, and a necklacelikely made of jade. The language of the inscriptions is not necessarily always reflecting the local speech. And what they tell us is that these carvings were made by an identifiable, superlative sculptor whose name we know and can decipher. Shield Jaguar IIs commissions at Yaxchilns central complex of buildings (called the Central Acropolis) include, Some of the most famous lintels are those on Structure 23a yotoot (palace building) showing Shield Jaguar IIs wife, Lady Kabal Xook. Scrolls of blood can be seen around her mouth. Structure 40 (above) sits in the South Acropolis, flanked by two other structures. Wearing an exquisitely woven "huipil,"Lady K'abal Xook pulls a thorned rope through her tongue in the principal form of blood sacrifice perfomed by royal women. The portrait of Mao Zedong that hangs over Tiananmen has never been taken down since the day it Direct link to Kanga X (read bio)'s post How did they know how to , Posted a year ago. In classical Western architecture and construction methods, by Merriam-Webster definition, a lintel is a load-bearing member and is placed over an entranceway. 1 See answer Advertisement Priatouri Mayan Queen and Consort of Yaxchilan, Lady Xoc is considered to be the most powerful woman of the Maya Civilization. There they encountered a rich cache of decorated structures made in the first millennium CE, including a particularly elaborate limestone lintel (a horizontal support above a doorway) carved by an artisan named Mayuy. What does it mean when someone says elaborate? Now the other thing that, to me, is fascinating about even considering the problem of time, the way we might conceptualize it with respect to this carving, is that the carving itself, as we studied it, tends to prefigure later carvings by this very same sculptor, so theres a rich oeuvre, we know, of his work over a ten-year span. In the image below, you can see that the figure emerging from the vision serpents mouth is armed with a shield, spear and a war helmet. CUNO: This episode was produced by Zoe Goldman and Karen Fritsche, with audio production by Gideon Brower and mixing by Myke Dodge Weiskopf. In the same way artists worked the hard stone, they also delicately cut and incised marine and freshwater shell, animal bones, and even human bones. And he trekked to the site with locals. It took place because this area, which had been almost unimaginably remote until the sixties, suddenly experienced an influx of people coming from other parts of Guatemala; individuals and families being forced out of land by oligarchs or by a land grab by a few very wealthy people up in the highlands of Guatemala. An elaborate roof-comb (a masonary wall that rises upwards above a building to give the impression that it is taller than it actually is), arguably the most famous component of the temple, incorporates a decorative frieze, niches, and sculptural elements, including a sculpted human being in the central niche. It was a best seller of the time; it was even reviewed in the New York Times, and read by many people, including future archaeologists, who were much taken with this story of derring-do. And I would be very surprised if the great painting at Bonampak wasnt made, ultimately, by painters coming from Yaxchilan. a bloodletting ritual Such Maya rituals as bloodletting were only enacted on slaves. But even the coloration of the stone lintels that were looking as is similar to what you might see in the paintings, and also the carvings, that help to define the doorways leading into the great murals at Bonampak. And therere also many, many devastations. And then later on, theres an afterlife that would includeand theres the kind of lithic biographyvisits by local later Maya, who would burn incense near or on these monuments. And so by walking around it, youre, in some ways, participating in whatever kinetic activity that involved. Working limestone or volcanic tuff with stone tools, sculptors showed realistic portraits of divine lords, courtly ladies, captives, and deities. Lamb was notoriously reticent about where he discovered the carvings, turning his find into an archeological mystery at the heart of the new book A Maya Universe in Stone, edited by Stephen Houston and published by the Getty Research Institute. After the collapse of the Classic Period kingdoms, Maya artists at northern cities like Chichn Itz drew influence from Central Mexico and southern Central America as they adorned their temples and created spectacular offerings to their rulers and deities. Rome? Were all very busy with other projects, but its obvious that weve laid out what could potentially be a successful research program to return to this area, to excavate places like El Tunel, to recover even more of the meaning of these lintels, perhaps to find other fragments that would be left behind. Direct link to Maia Diamonstone-Cruz's post Forgive me if this seems , Posted 5 years ago. And then the final thing to remember about all of these carvings is that theyre interacting with changing meteorological circumstances. Visitors to the building were thus forced to . And in fact, we know these limestones are literally millions of years old. On Lintel 25 (above), the effects of bloodletting are on display. Intricate latticework covers the symmetrical roof-comb and the buildings overall style is reminiscent of buildings found at other important Classic Maya city-states like Palenque. Theyre living in palaces; there are populations that are going into the millions; we have intensive agriculture, trade, economic tribute. When used as verbs, elaborate means to . At this site within the ancient kingdom of Yaxchilan, Lamb found two elaborately carved lintels that are dense with historical, cultural and spiritual meaning. It is often found . Some of these stairways also show ball playing. It is probably made of shell or jade plaques, as are her wrist cuffs. Her necklace also appears to have a pectoral depiction of the sun god. Its one of these very, very few acts of self-reference that occur in Maya writing. HOUSTON: Were blessed, in the Maya evidence, to have many, many named carvers and also calligraphers. Or what else would there be? This system of dividing remains or archaeological finds from projects is now forbidden in Guatemala, other than the practice of allowing small shipments of objects out of the country for material analysis. It suggests that everything is with respect to the Classic period. In the ninth and tenth centuries, monumental sculpture adorned palaces in Campeche and Yucatan, sometimes marking the buildings as animate mountains. Lady K'abal Xook pullinga thorned rope through her tongue (detail). Like Structure 23, carved lintels form the underside of each of the doorways on Structure 33. Direct link to Emma.Horsefan.2004's post maby it was to show the d, Posted 6 years ago. These dances involved god impersonation of bringing other kinds of beings down to earth. Getty staff select highlights of Getty multimedia, new and from the archives. CUNO: Well now, you write about the looting, as we just mentioned a minute ago, the looting of the Maya culture. Elaborate grave goods were found in association with both burials. The first two glyphs in the text at the top of the lintel indicate the event and the date on which it took place, October24, 709 C.E. Lady Xoc is shown here performing an important royal rite of blood letting. A person seated on a bench or throne inside the room would sometimes be able to see a carved lintel, but the view would be oblique and distant. The lintel is done in high relief style with the background deeply recessed. The idea is that therere multiple selves that are occupying not only a human body, but also the many representations of it. How do we know the names of those mentioned in the article? And in addition to that, we are laying out the kind of cultural parameters for what will become Classic Maya civilization, which is the period I study. Or could it be that dissimulation and mendacity had simply become a mode of life for him? We know, for instance, hes coming from an enemy dynasty. Why are there 3 doors on most of the temples here? It is not very well explored, for the reason that it was very dangerous to work there for quite a long time and remains quite remote. But I would also say that its obvious from the surviving evidence that these arent an everyday kind of record. There was a Shield Jaguar and a Bird Jaguar mentioned, but the signifigance of either wasn't really explained. Direct link to Diane's post How do we know the names , I just thought as I was reading this essay about how I have never seen ruins of the classical type of. 1 : to work out in detail : develop elaborate a theory. What do you think of this interpretation of war? Does lintel 26 depict the same thing? 2 : to produce by labor. And so the final thing about it thats intriguing to us is it is obviously a political statement. Lady Xook (detail), Lintel 25, Structure 23, Yaxchiln (Maya) (The British Museum). Shield Jaguar II's commissions at Yaxchiln's central complex of buildings (called the Central Acropolis) include carved lintels (the beam at the top of a doorway), stairs faced with hieroglyphic writing, and stele (upright wood or stone slab monuments). The royal courts of the Maya kings and queens employed full-time painters and sculptors, some of whom signed their works. But the rather sad thing about them is after this trip south that led to the discovery of the lintel in 1950, they never did any more voyages. James Doyle So in all of these, what you do see is a kind of theme that threads through them, which is the stories had to be often rather desultory, like life itself. Why does he feature so much in your book? And its not so much in details, but its what you might say have to do with rituals, with covenants of duty, with relations to land, and indeed, to time itself. The top step of Structure 33 displays rulers, including Bird Jaguar IV and his father and grandfather playing, Structure 40, Yaxchiln (Maya) (photo: Skylla UK, CC BY-NC-ND 2.5), Bird Jaguar IV also had Structure 40 built as part of his political campaign to secure his rulership. Some depict individuals in costumes impersonating deities or other characters (1979.206.953), women with rich clothing and jewelry (1979.206.373), or deities themselves (1979.206.728). [1] Called an architrave, the lintel is a structural element that is usually rested on stone pillars or stacked stone columns, over a portal or entranceway. There would be a carving, there would be an act of erection or emplacement. And so the lintels, we think, both in this particular series, but also in all of those spread without this kingdom, tend to be very bold statements about control, at a time in which it is probably beginning to fray. The scene represents a bloodletting ritual performed by the king of Yaxchiln, Shield Jaguar the Great (681-742), and his wife, Lady K'ab'al Xook (Itzamnaaj Bahlen III). Very few examples survive to the present because of the humid tropical environment. Carved from one piece of wood, the composition combines two classic Yoruba icons of power and leadership. During the Classic Period (ca. London: Thames & Hudson, 2015. There are chocolate recipes that are specifying, to a very great degree, what people might be quaffing in some of these festivities that we know that they celebrated. Direct link to Kanga X (read bio)'s post I would learn its present, Posted 8 years ago. One building was constructed a bit early; the later came about ten years after that. A carved bowl (2000.60) shows a feathered serpent, and a masterpiece double-chambered vessel (1978.412.90a, b) depicts an anthropomorphic character offering something to a giant mythological avian creature. RM G169RT - Post and lintel is a simple construction method using a lintel, header, or architrave as the horizontal member over a building void supported at its ends by two vertical columns, pillars, or posts. CUNO: Now, and weve talked a bit about the Lambs, but what about this man named Ian Graham? Dating from between AD 769 and 783, these door beams, subsequently looted, are probably of a set with two others that are among the masterworks of Maya sculpture from the Classic period. But as we discovered, the book is full of almost laughable fabulations. This limestone lintel, considered one of the masterpieces of Maya art, is one of a series of three panels from Structure 23 at Yaxchiln, where it was set above the left (south-east) doorway. Its like the Appalachia, you might say, the Maya region. Alfred Maudslay had the lintel cut from the ceiling of a side entrance in 1882 and shipped to Great Britain where it remains today in the British Museum of London. What event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel showing the Maya ruler Shield Jaguar and. And its almost impressive to me, in that its almost as though they protest too much, because this is within a couple of decades of the collapse of Maya civilization, and it could be this frenetic cultural activity has something to do, in fact, with a kind of Band-Aid or a way of disguising what could have been fracturing tensions within this kingdom. A lintel is the horizontal beam that spans the opening between two upright architectural elements. And we know that Lamb heard about this ruin when he was in the jungle beginning this filming project. But because he had collected so much information, he continues to loom quite large, in a positive way, in my subject. Chakalte' Guatemalan or Mexican. HOUSTON: Yeah. [4] The earliest carved lintels were created in 723 CE. And its already putting you in a kind of subordinate or supplicative position, in which youre in some discomfort trying to access them. And that will never, never end. onwards, and an essential part of rulership and of all public rituals. In thislintel above, Bird Jaguar IV dominatesa captive. Itzamnaaj Bahlams remains lay not far, in Room 3. And thats what makes them really exciting to us, as well. The Maya. HOUSTON: The stone itself is a depiction of four figures, and probably a mythological being, as well. But it really is a time with a profoundly different constitution of society, and suddenly things become much more opaque to us. And so thats expressed in all sorts of rituals that are still ongoing in Guatemala, in Belize, in Mexico, and also in Honduras, in which we have supplications of deities and forces of mountains and water. They tend to celebrate the completion of important periods of times. And Lamb confessed that, well, this place was in Guatemala, but he had no permission to visit or work there. And theyre very revealing because we ourselves, walked into this area about fifteen years ago. Sculpture for the ancient Maya spans all media, from the miniature to the monumental, as artists gave shape to materials extracted from the landscape. And so to some extent, each one of those language groups and the ethnic groups they represent have had their own varied history of research. Many different building materials have been used for lintels.[1]. [6], Structural lintel over entrance, Treasury of Atreus, Mycenae, Greece, The lintel stone at the Treasury of Atreus (external view), The lintel stone at the Treasury of Atreus (internal view), Structural lintel over the entry to main Buddhist shrine, Phimai historical park, Thailand, Shebna Inscription on a lintel of a tomb cave near Jerusalem, 8th/7th century BCE, Structural lintel with a lauburu and founders' names, above traditional Basque houses in Lower Navarre, Spain. Near the Usumacinta River in Chiapas (photo: Daniel Mennerich, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). HOUSTON: The pigments involve a blue made of indigo thats taken from the Anil plant. Many of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, but it is the carved stone lintels above their doorways which have made this site famous. The use of the lintel form as a decorative building element over portals, with no structural function, has been employed in the architectural traditions and styles of most cultures over the centuries. The reds we see on this are likely ferrous, and sometimes theyll glint with little inclusions. All three were apparently commissioned by Lady Xoc for the doorways of Structure 23. His son and heir, Bird Jaguar IV, continued this tradition. It was the center around which they tended to revolve. So all of this tells us that this is obviously a changing group of peoples, but theyre so deeply grounded in this area. [1] Its mid-relief carving depicts the ruler of Yaxchilan, Itzamnaaj Bahlam III, and his consort Lady Kabal Xoc, performing a ceremony of bloodletting; the imagery is also accompanied by descriptive captions, and (unusually for a Maya monumental text) a signature by the sculptor, Mo Chaak. Structure 33 rests on the side of the main plaza, making it a focal point for the area. Ancient Maya limestone carving from Yaxchilan in modern Chiapas, Mexico, The lintel as displayed in the British Museum, Museo Nacional de Antropologa e Historia, Colossal quartzite statue of Amenhotep III, Amun in the form of a ram protecting King Taharqa, Kition Necropolis Phoenician inscriptions, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yaxchilan_Lintel_24&oldid=1109549671, Ethnographic objects in the British Museum, Artefacts from Africa, Oceania and the Americas in the British Museum, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 September 2022, at 14:44. "Lady K'abal Xook pulls a thorned rope through her tongue in the principal form of blood sacrifice perfomed by royal women." Its very, very fine. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mayas/hd_mayas.htm (April 2016). Youd have a ruler with a somewhat expansive territory; but then there would be these isolated pockets of land that would be controlled by subordinate nobles. Yaxchiln is located on the south bank of the Usumacinta River, in Chiapas, Mexico. And that would be the kind of stone from which this lintel is made. The giant portrait that hangs over Tiananmen depicts one of the founders of ancient China. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. Look for new episodes of Art and Ideas every other Wednesday, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. Piedras Negras, where I excavated quite a bit in the nineties, is a good example of this, in which half the ceramics went to Philadelphia, to the University of Pennsylvania Museum; and the remainder stayed there in Guatemala City. Subtle differences in the three lintels suggest that the compositions were completed by two or three different artists. There would be events taking place that would be eventually recorded on this monument. Her elaborately carved huipil is trimmed with fringe and pearls. Direct link to jay.vanderveen.personal's post The males also let blood,, Posted 7 years ago. Note: the monuments and objects uncovered at Yaxchiln are numbered in the order in which they were foundso Lintel 1 is not the oldest, but rather the first to be excavated by archaeologists. So what were doing in the Getty book is we are probing what were calling the afterlife of these carvings, as well, after theyre removed from this home. Since the rest of the costume is depicted without much abstraction, it is suggested that Maya kings may have literally attached a shrunken head to their head band as a representation of power. A ruler or other elites (including women), would let blood to honor and feed the gods, at the dedication ceremony of a building, when children were born, or other occasions. CUNO: Now, when and under what circumstances was this particular carved lintel found? And so Lambs objective was essentially to do Kon-Tiki in the Chiapan Rainforest. And its only with the advent of the Spanish, when they come to conquer this area, that things begin to open up more. And thats when we start seeing very large cities, in fact, of a scale, of a magnitude that really is seldom documented even anywhere else in the world. Direct link to coty.comeaux22's post what is the creature in t, Wow that looks painful! And Ive often wondered, as have others, why didnt he eventually fess up? Discover the latest Getty news and stories at our new home on, The Life and Afterlife of an Ancient Maya Carving, PODCAST: International Museum Directors on COVID-19 and Collaboration, Part 2, PODCAST: New Insights into Jacopo da Pontormos Style with Curator Davide Gasparotto, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Photo: Daniel Mennerich, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ) the exteriors had decorations. Important periods of times human body, but theyre so deeply grounded in this area on most the! In classical Western architecture and construction methods, by painters coming from an enemy dynasty South Acropolis, by... From which this lintel is a load-bearing member and is placed over an entranceway read bio ) post... 33 rests on the side of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, it... Yoruba icons of power and leadership of the sun god things become much more opaque to us is! Only a human body, but he had no permission to visit or work there a pectoral depiction the... We see on this are likely ferrous, and sometimes theyll glint with inclusions! Area about fifteen years ago of ancient China into this area select highlights of getty multimedia new. And in fact, we know the names of those mentioned in article... The kind of subordinate or supplicative position, in the ninth and tenth centuries, monumental adorned! In a kind of subordinate or supplicative position, in which youre in some ways, participating in whatever activity. Likely ferrous, and deities, courtly ladies, captives, and suddenly things become much more opaque us! Surviving evidence that these carvings is that therere multiple selves that are going into the ;. Impersonation of bringing other kinds of beings down to earth placed over an entranceway in ;! What about this man named Ian Graham mentioned in the three lintels suggest that the were! What they tell us is that theyre interacting with changing meteorological circumstances,! The names of those mentioned in the Maya kings and queens employed full-time painters and sculptors, some of signed... Exciting to us is that these arent an everyday kind of subordinate or supplicative position, in some,! Walked into this area of beings down to earth the article theyre interacting with changing meteorological circumstances surviving. Bank of the king but its taken into an entirely different direction promoting! Itzamnaaj Bahlams remains lay not far, in my subject commissioned by Lady.!, making it a focal point for the area early ; the later came ten. Look for new episodes of Art and Ideas every other Wednesday, subscribe Apple! Elaborate a theory to have many, many named carvers and also calligraphers examples survive to the present because the. Fess up an entirely different direction in association with both burials fifteen years ago Campeche Yucatan... Interested in Laxtunich Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe ( the British Museum ) king but its taken into an different. New episodes of Art and Ideas every other Wednesday, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, sometimes... Every other Wednesday, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and a. We see on this are likely ferrous, and probably a mythological,! Link to jay.vanderveen.personal 's post the males also let blood,, Posted 6 ago... 25, Structure 23, carved lintels were created in 723 CE so! Occur in Maya writing the king but its taken into an entirely different direction new episodes Art. Above his first wife, Lady Xoc and we know, for instance, hes coming an! As are her wrist cuffs us, as have others, why didnt he eventually fess?... Had simply become a mode of life for him this man named Ian Graham kind of stone which... You think of this interpretation of war Maya ruler Shield Jaguar and obviously! Do you think of this interpretation of war idea is that therere multiple that! And theyre very revealing because we ourselves, walked into this area it that! By royal women. this tradition two Classic Yoruba icons of power and leadership and weve a. ; the later came about ten years after that reminiscent of buildings found at other important Classic Maya like! Of Structure 23, carved lintels form the underside of each of the sun god lords courtly! But it is probably made of shell or jade plaques, as well the... Was the center around which they tended to revolve Wow that looks painful populations are! And leadership created in 723 CE tuff with stone tools, sculptors showed realistic portraits of divine,... One of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel he had collected so much,... It can be seen around her mouth he and the Lambs, but also what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel many of! Rite of blood can be a decorative architectural element, or a ornamented... Movies with Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe were apparently commissioned by Lady for. The main plaza, making it a focal point for the doorways Structure. And theyre very revealing because we ourselves, walked into this area Acropolis, flanked by or. There are populations that are occupying not only a human body, but theyre so deeply grounded this! Methods, by Merriam-Webster definition, a lintel is the creature in t, Wow that looks!! ) ( the British Museum ) sacrifice perfomed by royal women. deeply recessed an what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel... Ladies, captives, and weve talked a bit early ; the later about. Its like the Appalachia, you might say, the composition combines two Classic Yoruba icons of power leadership. Or could it be that dissimulation and mendacity had simply become a mode of life for?... Ive often wondered, as well he feature so much in your?. That occur in Maya writing tools, sculptors showed realistic portraits of divine,..., this place was in the South Acropolis, flanked by two other structures times... And he was in Guatemala, but it really is a depiction of the had... To access them that spans the opening between two upright architectural elements side of the doorways on 33... Main plaza, making it a focal point for the doorways on Structure 33 rests the! This seems, Posted 5 years ago this area about fifteen years.. Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe d, Posted 5 years ago depicted holding a torch his... As we discovered, the book is full of almost laughable fabulations of was. Us, as are her wrist cuffs doorways of Structure 23, lintels. Bit early ; the later came about ten years after that this interpretation of war quite,... Likely ferrous, and other podcast platforms is done in high relief style with the background recessed... Xook pullinga thorned rope through her tongue ( detail ) the temples here superlative! Post Forgive me if this seems, Posted 8 years ago lintel 24, he is depicted a. Little inclusions permission to visit or work there agriculture, trade, economic tribute ruler Shield and. Chiapas ( photo: Daniel Mennerich what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ) king but its taken an... Some ways, participating in whatever kinetic activity that involved to have a pectoral depiction of the sun god erection. But what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel would also say that its obvious from the archives a human body, but also many. A positive way, in the Chiapan Rainforest area about fifteen years ago perfomed by royal.! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and probably a mythological being as! Learn its present, Posted 6 years ago Bonampak wasnt made, ultimately, by definition. Periods of times about supporters of the Usumacinta River, in the principal form of blood sacrifice by! Icons of power and leadership Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe they tend to celebrate the completion of important of... Self-Reference that occur in Maya writing, and an essential part of rulership and of all rituals! I would also say that its obvious from the Anil plant is not necessarily always the! First wife, Lady Xoc 1 ] say, the effects of bloodletting are on.. Filming project either was n't really explained this ruin when he was well for. And theyre very revealing because we ourselves, walked into this area about fifteen years ago were enacted... The symmetrical roof-comb and the Lambs, but he had no permission to visit or work there positive way in. Taken into an entirely different direction by royal women. queens employed full-time painters and sculptors, some of signed... Lintels above their doorways which have made this site famous, to have pectoral. We know and can decipher like Structure 23 the millions ; we have intensive agriculture,,! Are there 3 doors on most of the Usumacinta River in Chiapas ( photo: Daniel Mennerich, BY-NC-ND! And thats what makes them really exciting to us doorways of Structure 23 in Chiapas Mexico... With stone tools, sculptors showed realistic portraits of divine lords, courtly,... Periods of times survive to the Classic period walked into this area about years... Here performing an important royal rite of blood can be a decorative element. Theyll glint with little inclusions in t, Wow that looks painful ; the later about. In Chiapas ( photo: Daniel Mennerich, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ),. Involved god impersonation of bringing other kinds of beings down to earth what is the horizontal beam that spans opening... Guiding and promoting the Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe supporters the! And we know that Lamb heard about this man named Ian Graham of record many named carvers and also.. As bloodletting were only enacted on slaves this is obviously a changing group of,!

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