Ah Maxam
Ah Maxam
Aj Maxam He from Maxam
<p>Active in the mid- to late eighth century, Ah Maxam was a member of the royal lineage of the kingdom of Naranjo, in the Petén region of Guatemala. Although we know little about his life, his works <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/65290/vessel-of-the-dancing-lords" target="_blank"><em>Vessel of the Dancing Lords</em></a> (AD 750/800) and <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/126858/water-lily-vessel" target="_blank"><em>Water-Lily Vessel</em></a> (AD 750/800) attest to his refined abilities as an artist.</p><p>The simple and elegant designs of his vessels, executed with a perfectly controlled brush, incorporate natural elements, religious scenes, and hieroglyphic text, highlighting important features and beliefs of Mayan culture. As its name implies, <em>Water-Lily Vessel </em>is painted with water lilies, which for the Maya symbolized the watery surface of the underworld and the earth’s regenerative powers. The informative inscription on <em>Water-Lily Vessel</em>—the first to be deciphered on a Classic Maya vessel—states the artist’s name, declaring that Ah Maxam is a member of the nobility of Naranjo. It also mentions his mother and father, whose names appear on other dynastic monuments from the region.</p><p>According to ancient Maya belief, the gods only succeeded in populating the earth when they shaped humanity from maize, the staff of life. Ah Maxam’s <em>Vessel of the Dancing Lords</em> depicts a Maya ruler dressed as the maize god in three almost-identical panels. The ruler wears an enormous rack containing brilliant feathers, heraldic beasts, and related emblems, and is shown in the company of a dwarf. To the Maya aristocracy, dwarfs were special beings, with powerful connections to the earth and the underworld, the home of the ancestral dead. Consequently, the vase may refer to a rite of passage in which dwarfs assist the soul of the deceased to the land of the dead. <em>Vessel of the Dancing Lords </em>may have been painted as a funerary offering for a noblewoman with dynastic connections in the city of Naranjo, where it was made.</p>
Ah Maxam
Maya, active mid-/late 8th century
Vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala