On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Uk’ib (drinking cup) depicting a mythic scene,
600–700
Maya
Late Classic Period
2005-127
This vessel depicts the story of the maize god’s annual cycle of rebirth. Presented in three distinct scenes, the narrative follows the god from his departure from the underworld at the behest of a revered sky deity, through his conception and mother’s care, to his safe arrival at the earth’s surface. The scene featured here shows the final moment of the narrative, with the infant maize god riding on a large backpack carried by a turtle, identifiable by the shape of its mouth and the personified mountain face on its back, signifying the rocky hardness of its shell. The hieroglyphic caption reads pih yikatz (its burden is immense), referring both to the turtle’s massive pack and to the import of his load: the staple crop on its journey from the underworld to the terrestrial realm, where it will reemerge with the new growing season.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Uk’ib (drinking cup) depicting a mythic scene
Dates
600–700
Medium
Ceramic with polychrome slip-paint
Dimensions
h. 21.5, diam. 15 cm (8 7/16 × 5 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Stephanie H. Bernheim and Leonard H. Bernheim Jr. in honor of Gillett G. Griffin
Object Number
2005-127
Place Made
North America, Guatemala, Petén, Maya area, Pa’ Chan (El Zotz)
Reference Numbers
K7727
MS2085
LC-cb2-364 (Maya Photographic Archive, Dumbarton Oaks)
MS2085
LC-cb2-364 (Maya Photographic Archive, Dumbarton Oaks)
Culture
Period
Type
Materials
Subject
Karl Heinz Nottebohm, Guatemala City, Guatemala. [The Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, CA]. George Heyer, TX or NY. Alphonse Jax. Leonard and Stephanie Bernheim; gift to the Princeton University Art Museum in honor of Gillett G. Griffin, 2005.
Uk'ib depicting a mythic scene
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, p. 284 -
Nicholas Carter, Stephen D. Houston, and Franco D Rossi, eds. The Adorned Body: Mapping Ancient Maya Dress, (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2020)
, Figs. 2.8b, 11.10 (illus.)
