Censer Stand Depicting Principal Bird Deity250–450 CE

Not on view

Title: Censer Stand Depicting Principal Bird Deity
Culture: Maya
Place Made: Guatemala
Date Made: 250–450 CE
Medium: Ceramic
Dimensions: 6 1/4 x 7 1/4 x 8 3/4 in. (15.875 x 18.415 x 22.225 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Crawford, Jr.
Accession Number: M.2005.41
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: This avian supernatural being with its distinctive curved beak is one of the earliest patrons of Maya kingship, appearing on the facades of pyramids, in painted murals, and on royal objects as the source of sacred and political authority. The censer stand once sat on a bowl containing hot coals, which heated the surface of the vessel. The dish atop the creature’s head supported an openwork incense burner containing copal resin. When warmed, the copal released the aroma and clouds of smoke that are essential to Maya ritual.

2008

Not on view

Title: Censer Stand Depicting Principal Bird Deity
Culture: Maya
Place Made: Guatemala
Date Made: 250–450 CE
Medium: Ceramic
Dimensions: 6 1/4 x 7 1/4 x 8 3/4 in. (15.875 x 18.415 x 22.225 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Crawford, Jr.
Accession Number: M.2005.41
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: This avian supernatural being with its distinctive curved beak is one of the earliest patrons of Maya kingship, appearing on the facades of pyramids, in painted murals, and on royal objects as the source of sacred and political authority. The censer stand once sat on a bowl containing hot coals, which heated the surface of the vessel. The dish atop the creature’s head supported an openwork incense burner containing copal resin. When warmed, the copal released the aroma and clouds of smoke that are essential to Maya ritual.

2008