France – Paris
Among the artefacts bequeathed to us by the Maya are life-size or larger-than-life faces like this one, modelled from a white stucco made from lime and clay. Because these figures were found in the ruins of cities or temples, and not in tombs, researchers and archaeologists have deduced that they were most certainly the faces of sovereigns or religious dignitaries, intended to be fixed as ornamental elements to the façades of temples.
The surface of the Mayan stucco heads is often marked by numerous small lines, the stigmas of the roots and creepers of the surrounding jungle that gradually covered these works after they had fallen from the ruins of the buildings to which they had once been attached. Over the centuries, all this vegetation has formed a sort of protective gangue, preserving the stucco from erosion and probable destruction.
This face is eminently Mayan: a half-open mouth with a visible tongue; a straight lower lip beneath a strongly hemmed upper lip; a classically arched nose with two rather well-developed nostrils; almond-shaped eyes, partially covered by two protruding eyelids, like the rest of the arch of the eyebrows. The thickness of the sculpture allowed the artist to dig deep and accentuate the features that give the work its presence and great serenity.
From the front, despite an expression of deep contemplation, the figure appears to be very much alive, with his eyes visible and open. In profile, on the other hand, because of the lateral slit that joins the two eyelids together, the eyes appear perfectly closed, clearly suggesting a sleeping or deceased figure. Although we can’t say for certain, this characteristic could nevertheless indicate that these stucco heads, which used to hang on the façades of temples and palaces, were a kind of portrait gallery, in memory of former sovereigns or high priests who had passed away.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE ARGILLET
Furstenberg Gallery
8, rue Jacob, Paris 6e
galerie-furstenberg.fr
Image caption:
Large figure portrait of a dignitary
Calcic stucco with pigment remains
Mexico or Guatemala, Maya culture
500-800 AD
Height: 30 cm Width: 23 cm Thickness: 16 cm
OPUS – ANCIENT ARTS GALERIE JOSEPH
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