1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Mayan Art Megathread

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

  1. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    So this week I discovered the slann are real.

    UglZdrd.jpg

    "frog" creature on vase.
     
    LizardWizard, Bracnos, n810 and 2 others like this.
  2. Bowser
    Slann

    Bowser Third Spawning

    Messages:
    5,581
    Likes Received:
    8,452
    Trophy Points:
    113
    That is so incredibly cool!
     
    LizardWizard and Warden like this.
  3. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I know right?! Didn't expect it!

    Also just found this one in the time it took me to make this post. This one is a lot more fat though...

    4116_toadFish.jpg
     
  4. Bowser
    Slann

    Bowser Third Spawning

    Messages:
    5,581
    Likes Received:
    8,452
    Trophy Points:
    113
    The fat one must be fourth generation. Damn lazy kids! Haha! These are brilliant finds! Really interesting and just makes the lizardmen army even better in my mind!
     
    LizardWizard, Warden and NIGHTBRINGER like this.
  5. Jorgik
    Carnasaur

    Jorgik Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,464
    Likes Received:
    2,328
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I once had to research frogs as symbols of art for my art lessons and I found out that Mayans considered frogs powerful magicians whose power had been given by the moon. That provably is why slanns look like frogs. :smug:
     
  6. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

    Messages:
    77,508
    Likes Received:
    248,288
    Trophy Points:
    113
    That's interesting... that could very well be the inspiration that GW drew from when designing the Slann.
     
    LizardWizard, Bowser and Warden like this.
  7. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Interesting I will have to find this somewhere!

    I would be curious to see if this is where this comes from!

    Also since in medieval times, frogs and snakes were often considered evil creatures (dealing with witchcraft or the works of the devil, think the talking snake and the apple, plague of frogs, evil biblical references and stuff). This could make for an interesting dynamic between the people of the Empire or Bretonnia, who in their limited perspective on the history of the world would consider the Lizardmen the scions of Chaos

    mayan frog.jpg
     
  8. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

    Messages:
    77,508
    Likes Received:
    248,288
    Trophy Points:
    113
    The Warhammer world is cobbled together from all sorts of historical inspirations, so I wouldn't be surprised.
     
    Bowser, Jorgik and Warden like this.
  9. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    More Mayan vases, this time these are carved. Not sure exactly how they made them, but I love the intricate designs.

    f513c09059aaffd2d21824e780b1ca79.jpg

    2f7d80b3def69d2df2e98a9f762d6442.jpg

    62d52dcd92d7d1e64afc57a211f96b7d.jpg

    9151d5d7a89451d479f20522c0af0f83.jpg

    That last one is particularly intricate, from the headdresses of the seated lords to the glyphs around the top bar.
     
    LizardWizard, n810 and Bowser like this.
  10. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    One of the most well-known (and rare) Mayan wood carvings still in existence! It depicts a seated mustachioed dwarf with his arms folded in front of him.

    DSC_0324-680x1024.jpg

    Here are two pictures of it that I took myself! The carving is currently on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (in NYC).

    IMG_6460.JPG

    IMG_6463.JPG

    According to the description, the carving was actually a mirror-bearer in some royal personage's court, probably used to create auguries/used for divination. Mayan mirrors were normally made out of shiny, polished slabs of pyrite.

    IMG_6462.JPG
     
    LizardWizard, n810 and Bowser like this.
  11. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Mayan Bats

    Bats figure fairly often in Mayan imagery. I briefly mentioned the creature known as the "camazotz" in my lore blog; it apparently was a mythical creature that looked like a giant bat, that would swoop down and decapitate its prey. Often humans.

    Camazotz.jpg

    I liked the above one. The ears were probably more impressive when it was first made, they are almost completely broken off above the earring-flares now.

    There also was an bat featured in Mayan mythology who fights against the Hero Twins, it winds up decapitating one of them when they come out from hiding. But the twins survive somehow of course.

    upload_2016-8-11_22-20-5.png

    upload_2016-8-11_22-22-10.png

    Bats are sometimes used in glyphs, and are a prominent symbol in the city-glyph for Copan.

    Bat Glyph:
    batglyph.gif

    Copan Glyph:
    Copan Glyph.jpg

    Also came across this gem, titled "if Batman were a Mayan God."
    upload_2016-8-11_22-22-29.png

    Not ancient art at all, but really well done! I bet he would speak with a really deep raspy voice.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2016
  12. n810
    Slann

    n810 First Spawning

    Messages:
    8,103
    Likes Received:
    6,520
    Trophy Points:
    113
    ^ attachments broke. :(
     
    LizardWizard and Warden like this.
  13. Jorgik
    Carnasaur

    Jorgik Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,464
    Likes Received:
    2,328
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Was just going to make the joke of batman being a mayan idol!! :joyful:
     
    LizardWizard and Warden like this.
  14. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Once again I have been defeated by my computer! The pics should be good now...
     
    LizardWizard and n810 like this.
  15. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

    Messages:
    77,508
    Likes Received:
    248,288
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Computers tend to do that... we've all been there.
     
  16. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Murals of Bonampak

    Some of the best preserved examples of Mayan art still in existence. When they were discovered they helped preserve the myth that the Mayans were just a bunch of peaceful, priest loving astronomers. Murals show a the coronation celebration of the king, a victorious battle (probably the greatest battle scene in all Mayan art), and sacrificing the captives/bloodletting ceremonies afterwards.

    Yajaw Chan Muwaan, king of Bonampak, taking captives.

    bonampak 03.5.jpg

    Trumpeters and performers, with dangers in crazy costumes, dressed like CRAB PEOPLE:
    bonampak 02.jpg

    More performers/members in a procession:
    bonampak 01.jpg

    Close up of Yajaw Chan Muwaan
    bonampak 03.jpg

    Battle Scene:
    bonampak 04.jpg

    Much of the original paint still remains, thanks to that scholars/artists have been able to do a great deal of refurbishing/enhancement. Somewhere their is a reproduced copy of the murals, at some point I hope to visit!

    Original:
    bonampak 05 fade.jpg

    Enhanced Reproduction:
    bonampak 05 enhanced.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    n810 and Bowser like this.
  17. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Murals of San Bartolo

    Another famous set of Mayan murals, these are characterized by the striking red-black combination of paints.

    Head of a Mayan god, not sure which one. I am not going to post a close up of his entire figure here, he is conducting a bloodletting ritual from a rather sensitive area. Bloodletting was a big part of Mayan rituals because of its "life giving" nature.
    kenneth-garrett-maya-murals-maya-san-bartolo-guatemala.jpg

    Murals in their current state today:
    san_bartolo11.jpg

    Thanks to some extensive research, mayanists have been able to reconstruct a great deal about the murals. Overall they seem to be depicting the epic lifecycle of the Maize god; birth, death, and rebirth again.


    Just a couple more interesting pictures.

    Bird:
    fig05.jpg


    images6H31R2LN.jpg

    detail:
    San_Bartolo.jpg
     
    LizardWizard, n810 and Bowser like this.
  18. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    More hieroglyphs!

    This first one is the symbol for "winal," a set of 20 days in the Mayan calendar.

    winal-full-1s.png

    Full glyphs take up much more space than regular glyphs, are were only used on exceptionally important monuments when the ruler/artist really wanted to get his point across.

    Regular glyph, and in color!
    winal glyphs.png

    Found from an interesting site with lots of good information on the Mayan calendar.

    Edit: also looks like a baby slann.
     
    n810 and Bowser like this.
  19. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    And a few more interesting glyphs.

    Collection of Mayan words:

    Glyphs 1.jpg

    Glyphs 2.jpg

    Mayan Glyphs Wallpaper Ikarusmedia.jpg

    Wallpaper courtesy of ikarusmedia.
     
    LizardWizard, Jorgik, Bowser and 2 others like this.
  20. Warden
    Slann

    Warden Tenth Spawning

    Messages:
    6,463
    Likes Received:
    18,253
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Last glyph art for today. o_O:artist::bag::vulcan:

    Some useful words: colors, directions, and some relationships.
    colors, directions, non-family relationships.gif

    Interesting note that I am sure I wrote on this thread somewhere else, the Mayans had the same name for the colors blue and green, yax. Not sure why, but I am guessing it may be because many of the rivers in that part of the world are green.

    Plus, found a very interesting summary of how the Mayan calendar works on Pinterest:
    How the Mayan Calendar works.jpg
     
    LizardWizard, Bowser and n810 like this.

Share This Page