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Censer Support

mid-7th–9th century
Not on view
This hand-modeled flanged ceramic cylinder would have supported a bowl for the burning of incense for ritual purposes. A high-relief standing figure with a looped motif between his eyes, which is thought to relate to the Maya god of the sun, is depicted on the front. The figure is flanked by two smaller staff-bearing, animal-masked figures shown in profile. All three figures are positioned atop the carapace of a turtle out of the front of which emerges a human head, probably a representation of a Maya underworld deity. Turtle shells were regarded as metaphors for the earth, their openings viewed as analogous to those of caves. The combination of sun and underworld references suggests a cosmogram of the supernatural realm.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Censer Support
  • Date: mid-7th–9th century
  • Geography: Mexico, Mesoamerica
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Ceramic
  • Dimensions: H. 21 1/4 x W. 11 3/8 x D. 13 3/4 in. (54 x 28.9 x 34.9 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Wielgus, 1963
  • Object Number: 1978.412.99
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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