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Incense Burner — Anonymous, Maya

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Written by: Nazlı TunaResearcher · Old Master Paintings
African, Oceanic & Americas Art · Catalogue no. 39872
Anonymous, Maya

Incense Burner

StatusReference work · Not for sale
Held byCleveland Museum of Art
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According to the Popol Vuh, a sixteenth-century Quiché Maya manuscript, the world has been created and destroyed twice, and we now live in the third creation. In the second creation, human beings were made from wood and reeds. They lacked souls and minds, and they did not revere their creator. Because of these imperfections, most were killed by an uprising of utensils and domestic animals. Monkeys are the descendents of the survivors.

Artist / MakerAnonymous, Maya
Date600–1000
Culture / OriginGuatemala, Quiché, San Juan Cotzal, Maya
Mediumpottery
DimensionsOverall: 16.3 x 25.5 cm (6 7/16 x 10 1/16 in.)
DepartmentArt of the Americas
TypeCeramic
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Provenance & Source

Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.

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