Tripod Plate Item Number: 39.57 from the Brooklyn Museum
Credit Line
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Label
Painting, particularly on ceramic vessels, was the primary art form among the Maya. This plate is representative of the “turkey vulture” pottery tradition, a regional style that was created for a broad audience and used almost exclusively in burials. The vessel’s interior is decorated with the Muan bird, the messenger of the lords of the underworld. The “kimi” glyph, or death sign, emanates from the bird’s head just above the beak. On the interior rim, two centipedes swim in the underworld’s black waters.
Item History
- Made between 593 and 731
What
Who
- Culture
- Maya
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 593 and 731
Other
- Location
- American Identities: A New Look, American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, The Americas’ First Peoples, 4000 B.C.E.–1521 C.E., 5th Floor
- Classification
- Vessel