On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Mosaic mirror,
600–800
Maya
Late Classic Period
y1991-6
Courtly scenes in Maya art often depict lords gazing into mirrors held by diminutive figures, as on the black flask displayed here. These likely represent court sculpture. The exact significance of the scenes is unknown, but other Mesoamerican peoples thought mirrors could be used to conjure ancestors or even foretell future events.
Information
Title
Mosaic mirror
Dates
600–800
Medium
Hematite affixed to a stone backing
Dimensions
diam. 10.5 cm. (4 1/8 in.)
b: h. 2.7 cm., w. 2.3 cm. (1 1/16 x 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bower
Object Number
y1991-6
Place Made
North America, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, or Mexico, Maya region
Culture
Period
Type
Techniques
Subject
1991, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bower, Jackson Heights, NY, to the Princeton University Art Museum
- "Acquisitions of the Art Museum 1991," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 51, no. 1 (1992): p. 22-78., p. 48
- Dorie Reents-Budet, Painting the Maya Universe: Royal Ceramics of the Classic Period (Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1994)., fig. 2.4, cat. no. 89, p. 39 (illus.); pp. 356–357 (illus.); fig. 2.26, pp. 57 (illus.)
- Mary E. Miller and Simon Martin, Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya (San Francisco: Fine Arts Museum of San Fransisco, 2004)., pl. 13, p. 42 (illus., image reversed)
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007), p. 65 (illus.)
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), p. 65
