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Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya
Maya artistic expression over a millennium ago reached the highest peaks of opulence and cultural refinement in the New World. Supported by a society of astonishing wealth and complexity, the ancient Maya rulers commissioned the extraordinary works of art and architecture that have ensured their place in history, all within a deep tropical rainforest.
Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya is a unique, lavishly illustrated overview of the courts and court production of this great civilization. The Maya fashioned their society with a special emphasis on dynastic kingship, and eventually six or more fiercely competitive kingdoms dotted their landscape. At the heart of each kingdom lay the royal court--a place of elegance and entertainment, sumptuously furnished within and splendidly decorated throughout. Maya rulers--as kings of the forest--sat on flayed jaguar skins and pelt cushions, surrounded by a coterie of dwarves and hunchbacks, singers, drummers, and fan-bearers. The book investigates the rise in the importance of the court, its mythical backdrop, the role of women, and the place of warfare. Palenque is analyzed as an exemplary Maya court, and works found here, as well as at other sites including Tonina, Yaxchilan, Bonampak, and Copan, are particularly featured. The works of artists and scribes--ceramic censers, stucco heads, and jade masks appear alongside terracotta figurines, stone boxes, and great carved limestone lintels--bring alive the form, texture, and color of their vanished world.
Written by leading authorities and including thirteen personal accounts of the latest ground-breaking research, Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya examines the royal courts and their art in unprecedented depth. Color photographs throughout and specially commissioned drawings reveal a dazzling array of objects that still have the power to engage and astonish observers centuries after their creation.
Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya is a unique, lavishly illustrated overview of the courts and court production of this great civilization. The Maya fashioned their society with a special emphasis on dynastic kingship, and eventually six or more fiercely competitive kingdoms dotted their landscape. At the heart of each kingdom lay the royal court--a place of elegance and entertainment, sumptuously furnished within and splendidly decorated throughout. Maya rulers--as kings of the forest--sat on flayed jaguar skins and pelt cushions, surrounded by a coterie of dwarves and hunchbacks, singers, drummers, and fan-bearers. The book investigates the rise in the importance of the court, its mythical backdrop, the role of women, and the place of warfare. Palenque is analyzed as an exemplary Maya court, and works found here, as well as at other sites including Tonina, Yaxchilan, Bonampak, and Copan, are particularly featured. The works of artists and scribes--ceramic censers, stucco heads, and jade masks appear alongside terracotta figurines, stone boxes, and great carved limestone lintels--bring alive the form, texture, and color of their vanished world.
Written by leading authorities and including thirteen personal accounts of the latest ground-breaking research, Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya examines the royal courts and their art in unprecedented depth. Color photographs throughout and specially commissioned drawings reveal a dazzling array of objects that still have the power to engage and astonish observers centuries after their creation.
- GenresArt
304 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2004
36 people want to read
About the author
Mary Ellen Miller
18 books8 followersMary Ellen Miller is an American art historian and academician specializing in Mesoamerica and the Maya.
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August 15, 20182009-01 - Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya. Authors: Simon Martin, Kathleen Berrin, Mary Miller. 304 pages. 2004.
I picked this book up at the library while I was looking for architecture books, furniture books, and books on the decorative arts. This book is large and heavy better suited to a coffee table than a backpack or book bag. Being essentially an exhibit book/catalog it is filled with beautiful photographs and drawings.
The content of this book focuses on the high art and style of the Mayan elite. What may surprise most readers who envision a Mayan Kingdom is the total lack of centralized power in Mayan society. The Mayan civilization was not centralized like the Inca or confederated like the Aztec; rather it was a hodge-podge of competing city states. While joined by language and culture and beset with no unified political structure the Mayan were also diverse in terms of their spiritual or religious make-up.
This book does a fair job of introducing the reader to some of the complexities of Mayan thought, history, and life. There is a tendency though to rapidly muddy the waters to such a degree that one needs a good deal of background in Mayan or Mesoamerican societies in order to really appreciate the scope and grandeur of what is being discussed. This becomes magnified in the later sections of the book where subject matter experts cover nuanced particularities with in their fields.
Happily for the average reader the actual art work can be enjoyed with little distraction. Most of the explanations have enough generality in them to explain what you are looking at and why it is significant. The art work covered in the text spans the gamut from the large stele, panels, and lintels to small pieces of worked jade and vases. The book and the art work are broken down into groupings to aid in understanding. Each grouping has an introduction to the theme of the group, more in depth information and then very in depth information. In some cases, notably on calendars and faith the lead in information felt like teasers.
The accompanying artwork is well documented and explained without being ponderous. The Mayan achievements in decorative arts are astounding especially when viewing the jade work. The blending of realism and myth with in a piece of art makes it difficult though for many people to understand what they are looking at. This blending or smudging of the lines is part and parcel of Mayan belief. The areas between men and god are often blended. With notions of idealized men or gods and myth all combining together it can often be a real challenge to really understand what is being depicted. This does not however take away from the craftsmanship, the beauty or effect of the artwork.
I picked this book up at the library while I was looking for architecture books, furniture books, and books on the decorative arts. This book is large and heavy better suited to a coffee table than a backpack or book bag. Being essentially an exhibit book/catalog it is filled with beautiful photographs and drawings.
The content of this book focuses on the high art and style of the Mayan elite. What may surprise most readers who envision a Mayan Kingdom is the total lack of centralized power in Mayan society. The Mayan civilization was not centralized like the Inca or confederated like the Aztec; rather it was a hodge-podge of competing city states. While joined by language and culture and beset with no unified political structure the Mayan were also diverse in terms of their spiritual or religious make-up.
This book does a fair job of introducing the reader to some of the complexities of Mayan thought, history, and life. There is a tendency though to rapidly muddy the waters to such a degree that one needs a good deal of background in Mayan or Mesoamerican societies in order to really appreciate the scope and grandeur of what is being discussed. This becomes magnified in the later sections of the book where subject matter experts cover nuanced particularities with in their fields.
Happily for the average reader the actual art work can be enjoyed with little distraction. Most of the explanations have enough generality in them to explain what you are looking at and why it is significant. The art work covered in the text spans the gamut from the large stele, panels, and lintels to small pieces of worked jade and vases. The book and the art work are broken down into groupings to aid in understanding. Each grouping has an introduction to the theme of the group, more in depth information and then very in depth information. In some cases, notably on calendars and faith the lead in information felt like teasers.
The accompanying artwork is well documented and explained without being ponderous. The Mayan achievements in decorative arts are astounding especially when viewing the jade work. The blending of realism and myth with in a piece of art makes it difficult though for many people to understand what they are looking at. This blending or smudging of the lines is part and parcel of Mayan belief. The areas between men and god are often blended. With notions of idealized men or gods and myth all combining together it can often be a real challenge to really understand what is being depicted. This does not however take away from the craftsmanship, the beauty or effect of the artwork.
January 2, 2013
A lovely book with some pictures of amazing objects that you don't normally get to see. The book was quite detailed and covered mainly the life of the upper classes and the warriors. Unfortunately not much seemed to be said about women, though they did mention a few interesting queens. I wouldn't recommend this as a place to start learning about Mayan history or culture but a good book for those who are already a bit familiar with it. The book consists of essays about different aspects of life amongst the elite, including myths, warfare and artisans. The objects themselves are lovely and the text about each is worth reading. It ends with a lovely collection of short articles about recent archaeological excavations. Lovely book, I wish I could have made it to the exhibition!
April 26, 2011
The subject of this book is interesting and the photos are beautiful. However, it is slightly too long and, towards the end, I was basically skimming enough to understand the art that was in the photographs.
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June 10, 2013I absolutely loved this book. It was recommended by my art history professor. I used it through the entire semester on a course on the art of the Americans and it was set up so perfectly and provided detailed pictures of art work that most books do not. Thank you to the authors.
March 10, 2011
A beautiful book illustrating the arts of the Maya elite.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews