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Collections

Birth of Huk Siip650–800 CE

On view:
Geffen Galleries, Stonework from Mesoamerica and the Caribbean Coast
Maya cylindrical ceramic vessel with cream slip body painted in dark brown-black with two figural scenes and a band of glyphs near the rim, terracotta-red rim band and dark gray base
Maya ceramic cylinder vessel with cream slip and red rim band; painted in dark brown with a band of Maya glyphs above a scene depicting a figure intertwined with a large serpent, rendered in fine-line brushwork.
Cylindrical Maya ceramic vessel with cream slip and red rim band; painted in dark brown lines depicting a figure in elaborate regalia amid curvilinear forms, with a column of Maya glyphs at left.
Cylindrical Maya ceramic vessel with cream slip ground and dark brown painted figures; a standing costumed figure with elaborate headdress appears alongside Maya hieroglyphic glyphs; red-slipped rim at top.
Cylindrical Maya ceramic vessel with cream slip and red-painted rim band, decorated in dark brown painted figures including a seated figure emerging from or entwined with a large serpent, accompanied by a band of Maya hieroglyphic glyphs near the top.
Maya ceramic cylinder vessel with cream slip ground and red-painted rim band; painted in dark brown with a crouching figure amid elaborate scrolling forms and Maya glyphs at left.
Maya ceramic cylinder vessel with cream slip ground and red-painted rim, painted in dark brown with a standing figure wearing an elaborate headdress and jewelry, surrounded by Maya glyphic inscriptions in columns.

Vessel with Snake-Lady Scene, A.D. 600-800, Maya, slip-painted ceramic, d: 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm), h: 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, anonymous gift (M.2010.115.3), photo © Museum Associates / LACMA

Title
Birth of Huk Siip
Culture
Maya
Place Made
Mexico, Southern Campeche, or Guatemala, Northern Petén
Date Made
650–800 CE
Medium
Engobe-painted earthenware
Dimensions
Diameter: 5 5/8 in. (14.29 cm) Height: 6 1/2 in. (16.51 cm)
Credit Line
Anonymous gift
Accession Number
M.2010.115.3
Classification
Ceramics
Collecting Area
Art of the Ancient Americas
Selected Bibliography
  • Keene, Bryan C., editor. Toward a Global Middle Ages: Encountering the World Through Illuminated Manuscripts. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2019.
  • O'Neil, Megan E. Forces of Nature: Ancient Maya Arts from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Beijing Shi: Wen wu chu ban she, 2018.
  • Magaloni Kerpel, Diana, and Megan E. O'Neil, editors. The Science and Art of Maya Painted Ceramic Vessels: Contextualizing a Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2022. https://www.archive.org/details/maya-painted-ceramic-vessels (accessed November 21, 2022).
  • Chinchilla Mazariegos, Oswaldo, James A. Doyle, and Joanne Pillsbury, editors. Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2022.
  • Saunders, David, and Megan E. O'Neil, editors. Picture Worlds: Storytelling on Greek, Moche, and Maya Pottery. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2024.
  • Magaloni, Diana, Davide Domenici, and Alyce de Carteret. We Live in Painting: the Nature of Color in Mesoamerican Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2024.
Selected Exhibition History
  • The Ancient Maya World: Masterworks from the Permanent Collection. Saturday, December 1, 2012- Sunday, March 2, 2014
  • The Ancient Maya World: Masterworks from the Permanent Collection. Saturday, December 1, 2012- Sunday, March 2, 2014