Currently not on view
Seated dwarf with large headdress,
600–800
Dwarfs in Maya Art
These figures’ stout bodies, together with the distinctive facial features of several, indicate a naturalistic and sensitive rendition of achondroplasia, a genetic mutation that is among the most common causes of dwarfism. Dwarfs frequently appear in ancient Maya art, as they were common and important members of royal courts. Some scholars have suggested that their especially close relationship to Maya kings had mythological roots. Kings considered themselves akin to the beautiful maize god, whose long, slender head mimicked that of the single well-formed ear of corn a plant typically produces; other ears on the plant tend to be smaller and not fully developed. By analogy, people with achondroplasia were thought to be “of the same stalk” as royalty.
Information
600–800
North America, Mexico, Campeche, Maya area, Jaina Island or vicinity
LC-f5-6 (Maya Photographic Archive, Dumbarton Oaks)
Davis CH 25
- Alfreda J. Murck, "Acquisitions 1968", Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 27, no. 2 (1968): p. 94-105., p. 99 (illus)
- "Gifts by J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900, to the Art Museum", Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 33, no. 2 (1974): p. 24-30., p. 30
- Linda Schele and Mary E. Miller, The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art (New York and Fort Worth, George Braziller, Inc. and Kimbell Art Museum, 1986)., pl. 52, 153, 168 (illus.)
