Hieroglyphic Altar

Late Classic Maya Possibly Bonampak/Lacanha area, Mexico or Guatemala →

mayalate classicclassicmesoamericanstonealtar

Date

650–700

Medium

Limestone

Dimensions

21.6 × 37.5 × 41.9 cm (8 1/2 × 14 3/4 × 16 1/2 in.)

Museum

Art Institute of Chicago

Location

Chicago, IL

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Baker

This altar depicts the head and torso of an individual wearing an ornate headdress and a large, woven mat pectoral emblem of rulership. He appears within a four-lobed cartouche, suggesting that he is a deceased ancestor who lives in the Underworld. The hieroglyphs that surround the figure describe the commemoration of a monument or structure; the text carved around the sides of the monument celebrate a successor’s completion of six years of kingship.

Also notable

Works in the same vein

Chak Ak’ Paat Kuy ("Red Turkey") Playing the Ballgame

Late Classic Maya Probably La Corona (Saknikte’), Usumacinta River area, Guatemala

Stela

Maker unknown (Maya) Mexico (Campeche or Quintana Roo) or Guatemala

Figure of a Standing Warrior

Late Classic Maya, Jaina Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico

Figure of an Aristocratic Lady

Late Classic Maya, Jaina Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico