The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Two Artisans

Two Artisans

250–600 CE
(250-900), Maya style (250-900)
Overall: 56.5 x 22 x 35.5 cm (22 1/4 x 8 11/16 x 14 in.); Part 2: 59 x 26 x 22 cm (23 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 8 11/16 in.)

Description

These figures represent the supernatural patrons of the visual arts and writing: the brothers Hun Batz and Hun Chuen ("One Monkey" and "One Artisan"). The two were refined artists but also bullies who tormented their younger brothers, who took revenge by transforming their elders into monkeys. Many Maya representations of the painter-scribes immortalize this fate by depicting the pair with both simian and human features, as here. The brothers are shown engaged in artistic or scribal pursuits. Sitting on high-domed bases that may have served as the lids of incense or offering bowls, each apparently once grasped a tool in his upper hand—for instance, a paint brush or a stylus for writing. In the lower hand, one cradles a small mask and the other, a piece of bark that likely refers to the beaten bark from which the Maya made books.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions to the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection,” August 26, 1994, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Young-Sanchez, Margaret, "From the Heart of the Maya Realm" Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 35 no. 04, April 1995 Mentioned & reproduced: cover & p. 4 archive.org
  • Washington, D.C.: The National Gallery of Art; April 4- July 25, 2004. San Francisco, CA: The California Palace of the Legion of Honor; Spetember 4, 2004- January 2, 2005. "Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya." ex.cat.no. 65, p. 134.
    Brussels, Belgium: Musees Royaux d'Art et d' Histoire; September 25- December 27, 1992. "Tresors du Nouveau Monde." cat. no. 178- 179.
  • {{cite web|title=Two Artisans|url=false|author=|year=250–600 CE|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1994.12