Throne with two lords in the eyes of a mountain

Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This throne, similar to that seen in the panel nearby, shows two figures silhouetted in the eyes of an animate mountain, perhaps portraits of King K’inich Yat Ahk III and a courtier named in the text at the top of the throne back. A complex political situation led to the king’s accession, according to accompanying text, which celebrates the dynastic and divine powers that supported his rule. Such favor was ultimately insufficient, however—the king was captured in 808 by a rival lord from Yaxchilan, likely responsible for the intentional destruction of the throne. (The blows were aimed at the heads; the present ones were reconstructed in the 1930s.) Both Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan were abandoned shortly after this violent conflict in the early ninth century.


K’in Lakam Chahk y Patlajte’ K’awiil Mo[…] (maya, activo en el siglo VIII)
Trono con dos reyes en los ojos de la montaña
Trono 1, Estructura J-6, Piedras Negras, Petén, Guatemala
785
Dolomita


Este trono, semejante al exhibido en el panel cercano, muestra a dos figuras de perfil en los ojos de una montaña personificada. Probablemente, sean los retratos del rey K’inich Yat Ahk III y un cortesano, nombrado en el texto ubicado en la parte superior del respaldo. En las patas se explica que el rey asumió el mando en una situación política compleja y se alaba a los poderes dinásticos y divinos que favorecieron su mandato.

Sin embargo, tal favor resultó insuficiente, ya que el rey fue capturado en el año 808 por el señor rival de Yaxchilán, presunto responsable de la destrucción deliberada y literal de este trono (las cabezas se demolieron a golpes, y se reconstruyeron hasta la década de 1930). Tanto Piedras Negras como Yaxchilán fueron abandonadas poco después de este violento conflicto a principios del siglo noveno.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Throne with two lords in the eyes of a mountain
  • Artist: K'in Lakam Chahk
  • Artist: Patlajte' K'awiil Mo[...]
  • Date: 785
  • Geography: Guatemala, Piedras Negras, Petén
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Dolomite
  • Dimensions: H. 59 1/16 × W. 78 3/4 × D. 78 3/4 in., 1570 lb. (150 × 200 × 200 cm, 712.1 kg)

  • Classification: Stone-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala City, Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes de Guatemala
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing