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Mayan Art Megathread

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Warden, Jul 15, 2016.

  1. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Faces of Copan

    Lots of random faces scattered about the ruins. Some quite mysterious... :blackalien:

    Copán_Ruinas_detail.jpg

    cute happy face:
    copan face 2.jpg

    Face with no mouth:
    copan face.jpg

    Jaguar-stair Sun God statue:
    jaguar-stairs-sun-god-statue-copan-ruins-honduras-world-heritage-central-C5H5X1.jpg

    museo-de-escultura-copan-sculpture-museum-copan-ruins-honduras-world-c5h60e.jpg

    museo-de-escultura-copan-sculpture-museum-copan-ruins-honduras-world-C5H614.jpg

    Also I have shown this skull before, but found another awesome picture. I just really love the detail.

    Copan-Ruinas-Honduras-©-Rafał-Cichawa-Dreamstime-29453483-e1459883171985-1000x399.jpg
     
  2. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Transitioning to some artwork covering Mayan ruins, next up is the work of Frederick Catherwood. I am a huge fan of his work! :artist:

    Catherwood was an architect/artist who from London who travelled to Egypt, Greece, and several other spots around the globe, taking copious notes and sketches as he did so. He was eventually enlisted by John Lloyd Stephens (an American) to conduct a joint venture into Central America, to explore the rumors of hidden temples of great beauty. Stephen's travelogue and Catherwood's drawings were later published into two volumes "Travels in the Yucatan," and are the first examples of a European artist accurately reflecting and depicting Mayan art/architecture/ruins in print.

    cath1.jpg
    Frederick Catherwood never did a self-portrait (that I can find...:shifty:) but he did make a cameo in one of his Yucatan works making measurements of the ruins.

    john-lloyd-stephens-1.jpg
    John Lloyd Stephens

    incidents-of-travel-vol-1_.jpg

    original cover.jpg
    sketch of one of Catherwood's panoramic views of Thebes, on display in his New York workshop for a long time. He was also famous for a stunning panorama of Jerusalem. The majority of his work was destroyed in one of the 1800's New York fires, but fortunately his work on the Mayans and Egyptians survived in published works.

    catherwood example egyp ruins.jpg
     
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  3. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Catherwood- Copan

    Stela H Waxaklajuun Ub'aah K'awiil (18 Rabbit)
    Catherwood Copan Stelae.jpg

    Stela D (also 18 Rabbit) and Altar, representing Chac supposedly.
    catherwood-copan.jpg
    idol-and-altar-at-copan-by-frederick-catherwood-john-mitchell.jpg

    More Examples:
    08.jpg

    CopanNSouthCatherwood.jpg

    looks like a bunch of fruit!
    plate3.jpg

    stelae.jpg
    plate2.jpg

    ruined stela:
    plate4.jpg

    Also found a good link giving great real-life pictures of all of the stela at Copan! by Günther Eichhorn
     
  4. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Catherwood- Tulum

    Very interesting to see how similar the site looked, even back then! Of course before Catherwood made any sketches, they had to hire native work crews to clear the site of the overgrown jungle in order to even see the buildings. Many of the locals feature randomly in his artwork.

    the Castillo at Tulum
    tulum1.jpg

    759.jpg

    plate24.jpg

    I used these two for easy references for terrain works, very simple ones to make.
    Inspiration- Catherwood Tulum 2.jpg

    This building is called the Temple of the Falling God because at the top their is a picture of a god-creature that is upside down, like it is falling. Later archeologists think that the symbology actually stands for birth.

    Inspiration- Catherwood Tulum 1 Falling God.jpg
     
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  5. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Catherwood- Palenque

    Last upload for today, some of Catherwood's views of Palenque. It was raining the entire time Catherwood and Stepehens were at the site, and Catherwood caught a cold/malaria or something. He kept working though sick :hurting: and produced some great work. If I find his work on the insides of some of the Palenque temple I will post them as well, but the internet is eluding me and I am far from my research books.

    catherwood_palace-principle-court.jpg

    Inside the vaunted chambers:
    catherwood_palenque-interior-house-iii.jpg

    This epic landscape is one of the few examples of Catherwood taking MAJOR artistic license; that giant mountain (which looks suspiciously like a hidden pyramid) doesn't exist. There is a mountain on that spot but it is nowhere that height. Also the temples aren't quite that large either.
    catherwood-3.jpg

    the Palace at Palenque
    image.jpg

    untitled.png

    Temple of Inscriptions:

    catherwood-drawing_ti-temple-palenque.jpg
     
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  6. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Catherwood- Ixmal

    Also I have read it before as "Izamal." Currently located underneath a Guatemalan city, this particular ruin doesn't exist anymore. Catherwood's drawing is the only evidence it ever existed. Also one of my favorites... :wideyed:

    Catherwood Ixmal Face.jpg
    391px-Izamal_Catherwood.jpg
    This was the original sketch of the stone face. The final picture (the one with the leopard) is another example of artistic license. I highly doubt the intrepid 19th century explorers figured out a way to get a black jaguar to pose for the artist's pencil while he sketched the scene.
     
  7. Jorgik
    Carnasaur

    Jorgik Well-Known Member

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    Scenery ideas all around :singing::singing::singing:...
     
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  8. Warden
    Slann

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    Catherwood- Chichen Itza

    In the present day, the redone Castillo at Chichen Itza is probably the most recognizable and most visited Mayan archeological site. Back in the early 1800s it was mostly overgrown, but it still was an inspiring sight!

    Casa%20Catherwood%2004%2020131109%20for91days_com.jpg
    Another colored picture, based on Catherwood's work. I just liked the colors...
    chichen_itza_discovered_by_dx-d4nxpnl.jpg

    Also here is what the refurbished Castillo looks like at Chichen Itza today.
    56-265897-chichen-itza-modern-day-wikipedia-commons.jpg

    Another building at the Chichen Itza is the circular Caracol, a unique building thought to be an ancient observatory. The Spanish named it caracol because of its peculiar round shape, which reminded them of a snail.
    caracol2.jpg

    Chichen Itza is also known for the Great cenyote. If Catherwood pictured the great cenyote I cant find it, but I did find another picture of a cenyote in active use by the local population. He illustrated the watering-hole of the village and the giant ladder that the locals had to climb down multiple times each day just to get water.
    a6e5ddcf93c8b63bba20766cd5615cf6.jpg

    cenyote ladder.jpg
     
  9. Jorgik
    Carnasaur

    Jorgik Well-Known Member

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    Awesome!! I was at chichen Itza an it is truly amazing!! Maybe the spawning pools were inspired by the cenyotes!!
     
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  10. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    That is amazing I am hoping to go there myself at some point!

    that is a good idea :wideyed:
     
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  11. Warden
    Slann

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    Catherwood- Arch of Labna

    A unique and beautiful Mayan piece, also inspired me to make a terrain piece myself!

    Inspiration- Catherwood Labna.jpg
    This is what the arch may have looked like in its prime.
    148355329.jpg

    Arch today:
    El%20Arco%20Labna.jpg

    Inspiration- Labna.jpg

    LabnaNight.jpg
    Arch at Labna.jpg
     
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  12. Jorgik
    Carnasaur

    Jorgik Well-Known Member

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    This is so good!! I was trying to find something that would look like a good mayan wall!! I ove this thread, it makes me not need to do research!! :joyful::joyful:
     
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  13. Bowser
    Slann

    Bowser Third Spawning

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    I agree with @Jorgik this thread is great! I learn something, then I want to know more!
    Great terrain piece you have done there! Looks awesome!
     
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  14. Warden
    Slann

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    Catherwood- Uxmal

    Beautiful site visited and depicted in many pieces of Catherwood's artwork, highly detailed stuff!

    7a2aee649a3536acb35c8ba6802c2e01.jpg
    Casa_del_Gobernador_in_Uxmal_von_Frederick_Catherwood.jpg

    catherwood-uxmal.jpg

    Fig04.jpg

    plate9.jpg

    Stphns_1-04_UPgS-I_fp.jpg

    Uxmal_nunnery_by_Catherwood_01.jpg

    Uxmal_nunnery_by_Catherwood_02.jpg

    uxmal-pyramid-Catherwood.jpg
     
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  15. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Time for a couple other Mayan artists. This one, named Lord Waldeck, arrived in the New World some time before Catherwood and Stephens first expedition. He firmly believed the Mayans were the scions of Atlantis, the Egyptians, or the Israelites, and helped make those theories very popular at the time through his drawings. Unlike Catherwood, he made a lot of stuff up...

    waldeck-beau-relief-1832-crop.jpg

    Much of his art, instead of sticking true to the stuff in front of him, was very inspired by Roman or Greek ancient art. Also he made up his own glyphs, like the famous "Elephant Glyph" which definitely never existed. Very good case of someone seeing what they wanted to see, instead of what was actually in front of them.
    2312632_orig.png
    Elephant-de-Waldeck1.jpg
    Picture1.png

    Waldeck%20elephant%20head.jpg

    Waldeck also did some work further up Mexico in Aztec territory.
    Waldeck%20leopard%20man.jpg

    Awesome mural
    Picture1.jpg
     
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  16. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    This particular mural, from the source I found, I believe is wrongly attributed to Waldeck. He definitely visited Palenque (the picture of the Mayan king on a double-jaguar-headed-throne above is definitely Palenque) but I am pretty sure the picture below is Catherwood's work, not Waldeck; this is simply because the picture is MUCH more true to the Mayan original than Waldeck normally was. But I am too far away from my sourcebooks at the moment, so for now, here is the beautiful artwork! :artist:

    Waldeck%201.jpg
     
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  17. Warden
    Slann

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    Xochicalco

    Already showed a picture in the previous Waldeck post, and I was so interested in the mural I had to look it up.

    The mural at the Temple of the Feathered Serpent looks like a great example of cultural diffusion in the Mesoamerican region. About 75 miles from Mexico City, the site of Xochicalco shows a definite Mayan and Teotihuacan influence in its mural artwork.

    Xochicalco_1.jpg

    Dude with an obvious Mayan headdress
    Xochicalco_2.jpg

    Xochicalco_Serpiente_Emplumada_GR.jpg
     
  18. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Cacaxtla

    Another amazing example of cross-cultural diffusion. Cacaxtla was a major trading post, despite at its height not having more than 10,000 people (estimated of course). The palace displays some beautiful murals in a distinct Mayan style; there is a strong chance the city was settled by a Mayan trade family.

    The two main murals the site is known for are the Bird Man and the Feline Man:

    VestidosDeSacerdotes(Hombre-Ave).jpg

    VestidosDeSacerdotes(Hombre-Felino).jpg

    Some details...

    A feathered serpent
    cacaxtla-4.jpg

    Reconstruction of the murals:
    cacaxtla-murals enhanced.jpg
    the Battle Mural, very long mural (this is maybe an eight of the total length of the mural)
    cacaxtla-2.jpg

    Another fragment of the Battle Mural cacaxtla-3.jpg

    Another mural on a door jamb, with a distinctive Mayan headdress
    Cacaxtla03.jpg
    This mural is known as the Mural of the Red Temple, located on the steps leading up to the "Governor's Room."
    Caxatla_Mural_Del_Templo_Rojo.jpg

    a frog!
    cacaxtla frog.jpg
     
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  19. Bowser
    Slann

    Bowser Third Spawning

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    Lord Kroak's yearbook picture!
     
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  20. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

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    Next artist that I just learned about, Adela Breton! (hail Bretonnia)

    Some amazing work from Uxmal
    adela-breton-annex-nunnery.jpg

    She also did some great work at Chichen Itza.
    temple of the jaguars.jpg
    notice the giant scaled dude at the bottom of the picture under the oroboros-snake. Wonder what the story is for that one...
    ms7462_01.jpg

    cover of her book, giant snake-column from Chichen Itza
    front_cover.jpg

    another shot from Uxmal, chac faces:
    untitled.png
    Temple of the Niches at El Tajin, Veracruz
    Temple of the Niches El Tajin Veracruz.jpg

    restored temple:
    nn87f.jpg

    cliff carving (really want to know where this is!)
    tumblr_o7zv24Mf2D1r55zbco1_500.jpg
     
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