Because jade is so difficult to carve, and because the artist was likely following the contours of a thin vein of apple-green jade, the beak has been flattened down in low relief against the face, overhanging the mouth. When seen in profile images, this bird beak has a distinct bracket shape (see, for instance, 1978.412.90a, b). Below, a small nose with curling nostrils is carved atop a downturned beak. In Maya art, this eye is a diagnostic feature of shining, solar, and/or resplendent supernatural beings. Ux Yop Hu’n is shown cross-eyed, his squared pupils looking inward toward a furrowed brow. This figure is also frequently referred to in the literature as “the foliated Jester God.” His forehead is infixed with a hieroglyphic sign that translates as ajaw, or ruler (a schematic face comprised of two dots for eyes and one for a mouth). This apple-green jade ornament represents the avian face of Ux Yop Hu’n (“Three Leaves Paper” or “Three-Leaf-Paper”) a complex supernatural being that personified the paper headband worn by ancient Maya rulers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |