Maya News Updates 2016, No. 5: New Maya Exhibit in the Netherlands - At the Drents Museum, Assen - Materials Published to Accompany the Exhibit

The exhibit "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" ("Maya's - Rulers of the Rain Forest") was officially opened on February 27 and to the public on February 28, 2016. The Drents Museum has published a nice collection of materials to accompany the exhibit. Here is an overview and quick peak. While at the exhibit the information at the showcases is available in both Dutch and English, these materials are Dutch language only.

1. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Overview of the three main publications that accompany the exhibit, upper left magazine of the Drents Museum, upper right the book that accompanies the exhibit, and bottom the small booklet for children (photograph by Erik Boot/MNU 2016).

2. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Cover of the book that accompanies the exhibit. This is not a full catalog, but an edited volume providing a series of articles which provide some of the most recent insights into Maya civilization, from the Preclassic and Early Classic periods to the Late Classic and Postclassic period up to the present day. Edited by Vincent van Vlisteren and Nikolai Grube, the chapters are written by well-known specialists as Charlotte Arnauld, Guillermo Bernal Romero, Markus Eberl, Nikolai Grube, Fernando Robles Castellanos, Karl Taube, Elisabeth Wagner, and it is published by WBooks (formerly Waanders Publishers). A quick peak can be found at this link. Lavishly illustrated, showing a host of the objects shown at the exhibit as well as other important objects. On page 189 a list of literature, for both the interested as the more specialized, some of which are published in Dutch (for instance the book and catalog that accompanied the "Maya 2012" exhibit in Leiden; see side menu). Available at the museum book store for €24,95 (photograph by Erik Boot/MNU 2016).

3. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Cover and a two-page spread from the magazine of the Drents Museum, issue one of 2016, which opens with an illustrated article on the exhibit. Available for 1,00 at the museum (photograph by Erik Boot/MNU 2016).

4. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Cover and a pair of two-page spreads from the small booklet published by the Drents Museum, for children and containing a host of games to play and puzzles to solve all with the Maya exhibit at the center. The booklet opens with a plan of the exhibition space and shows a series of Maya numbers (1-20) that tie in with the content of the booklet. The route it takes through the exhibit is designed for the whole family. Available at the museum for free (photograph by Erik Boot/MNU 2016).

Maya News Updates 2016, No. 4: New Maya Exhibit in the Netherlands - At the Drents Museum, Assen - First Series of Photographs from the Exhibit, taken February 27, 2016

The exhibit "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" ("Maya's - Rulers of the Rain Forest") was opened officially on February 27, 2016, during a reception well-visited by a host of foreign and local guests. After the reception and official opening one could visit the exhibit. Here I present a first series of photographs of some of the objects shown at the exhibit. Preliminary comments to each photograph written by the photographer.

1. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Polychrome Classic period vase, provenance unknown (Motul de San José area), showing court scene; central text informs on the identity (ubaah "it is the image to ... of ...") of the elite person on the right (ta?-ye-la CHAN-na-K'INICH or Tayel Chan K'ihnich), seated on an elevation (throne, bench), and terminates with the paramount title of Motul de San José, K'uhul Ik'a' Ajaw "God-like King of Ik'a'." Tayel Chan K'ihnich is a name of Late Classic king of Motul de San José circa AD 720s-740s and vessels carrying his name have been found at Dos Pilas and Cancuen. These vessels, like the one at the exhibit, may have functioned as elite gifts exchanged at important courtly ceremonies either at Motul de San José itself or at the receiving courts when the Ik'a' king came to visit (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

2. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Unprovenanced polychrome Classic period vase, showing dancing Maize Gods with large back racks and accompanied by dwarfs in the so-called "Holmul Dancer" style (eastern Peten area, Holmul-Naranjo area; on this style see Reents-Budet, 1991, The “Holmul Dancer” Theme in Maya Art), restored and repainted. Note for instance the inclusion of a near-glyph-by-glyph copy of part of the dedicatory text on Kerr No. 0633 (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016) (also see Maya News Updates 2011, No. 23 here)

3. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Fragment of limestone panel, showing the head of a captured dignitary, the short text provides a so-called Distance Number of 0 days, 0 winal/winik/winkil periods of 20 days, 12 haab years of 360 days, and 3 winaakhaab/k'atun periods of 7,200 days each, after which "happens" (uhtiiy), but that part of the text is gone (it would have been the Calendar Round date) (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

4. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Limestone drum-shaped altar, provenance unknown, providing an elaborate court scene taking place at Yaxchilan or its direct environs (see Grube and Luin, 2014, A drum shaped altar from the vicinity of Yaxchilan). Secondary texts identify three of the protagonists and the sculptor (y-uxul ...-pa ka-..., "it is the sculpture of ..."), the long circular text on top of this altar refers to a mortuary ceremony and terminates with the paramount title of Yaxchilan, K'uhul Pa'chan Ajaw, "God-like King of Pa'chan" (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

5. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Fragment of limestone panel, showing a captured dignitary, his hands tied with a thick rope. The short text to the right of him reads Ucha'an Yax Tok Bahlam, "The (u-) guardian (cha'an) of Yax Tok Bahlam" (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

6. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Limestone statue of a crouching anthropomorphic warrior figure with jaguar mask, large ear spools, and elaborately dressed, some 3 meters long. Original colors remain at places like the ear spools and the mask surrounding the mouth. Found during digging work at a farm in the southwest of Lake Petén Itzá, Peten, Guatemala, some ten years ago (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

7. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Early Classic period cave painting executed on a flowstone fan. Between the two anthropomorphic figures painted black short hieroglyphic texts can be found. One text opens with the Calendar Round date of 9 Ajaw 3 Muwaan. The most likely Long Count date reconstruction for this Calendar Round date is 8.19.10.0.0, the date February 1, in AD 426 (correlation constant 584,285), in the Early Classic period. The date is most probably followed by a so-called Period Ending ceremony, note the "flat hand" (pointing to the left) and the two lines of dots above the hand. Perhaps this is an Early Classic rendition of the chok ch'aj "to scatter ch'aj (droplets)" ceremony, known to be associated with Period Endings (compare for instance to Caracol, Stela 1, Front: F1, "flat hand" now pointing downwards, note six parallel lines of dots for ch'aj) (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala; formerly Museo El Príncipe Maya, Cobán, Verapaz, Guatemala, a now defunct museum [since 2011]) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

8. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Plate the floor of which shows a dancing Maize God, stretching his arms outwards and who has elaborate head ornaments. The circular text, arranged around the dancing Maize God, in the literature known as the "Tikal Dancer" (see for instance Boot, 2003, An Annotated Overview of “Tikal Dancer Plates” on this iconographic theme and an interpretation of various of the positions of the Maize God) is a non-sensical text (aka. "pseudo-text") which repeats a single sign group over and over (Museo Juan Antonio Valdés, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

9. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Early Classic period cache vessel, the top of which is incised with a short five collocation dedicatory text, which opens with the name of the object, followed by the name of the owner or patron and which terminates with the statement tuk'uhil Ahkan Yaxja', "for (t-) the (u-) god (k'uhil) Ahkan Yaxja' " (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

10. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Three Early Classic period lidded blackware and burnished vessels, each elaborately decorated with a frontal portrait. Note that the vessels on the left and right each have hieroglyphic signs in the central element of their headdress assemblages, most probably signaling a part of the their names. The lids are incised with symbols that define the water band (Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

11. Drents Museum - "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" - Late Classic carved limestone panel, part of one of the legs of a monumental carved throne at the archaeological site of Dos Pilas portraying the Classic Maya Sun God, K'ihnich Ajaw "Sun (k'in) Person(?) (-ich) King (ajaw)"(Fundación La Ruta Maya, Guatemala) (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016) (also see Maya News Updates 2012, No. 1 here)
A review of the exhibit "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud/Maya's - Rulers of the Rain Forest," as well as some additional photographs of objects shown at the exhibit, will follow in a next Maya News Updates.

Maya News Updates 2016, No. 3: New Maya Exhibit in the Netherlands - At the Drents Museum, Assen - Photographs from the Official Opening on February 27, 2016

The exhibit "Maya's - Heersers van het Regenwoud" ("Maya's - Rulers of the Rain Forest") was opened officially on February 27, 2016, during a reception well-visited by a host of foreign and local guests, fronted by the organizers and those associated with the lending institutions (for example the Museo Nacional de Etnología e Arqueología, Guatemala, and the Fundación La Ruta Maya). Here I post a series of photographs made before and during the reception, providing (among others) an overview of the reception and of some of the key note speakers (most prominently by José Luis Chea Urruela, minister of the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes in Guatemala, and Jacques Tichelaar, Commissaris van de Koning in Drenthe/Commissary to the King in Drenthe). A next Maya News Updates will show some of the objects being shown at the exhibit, followed by a short review later this week.

1. Drents Museum - at the "group" entrance, early arrival before the crowd gets in and the line gets long with invited guests (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

2. Drents Museum - at the "group" entrance, city weapon of Assen set in the center within the Latin phrase "Mvsevm Drenthia," i.e., Drenths Museum/Museum Drenthe (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

3. Drents Museum - at the "group" entrance, center of the Guatemalan flag paired with its shadow on the wall at the entrance (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

4. Drents Museum - at the reception area, in front of the book store, people meeting, Sol y Luna band playing in background, early arrival before the more guests gets in (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016).

5. Drents Museum - guest and staff member near to the entrance of the exhibit, large poster for the exhibit on the wall (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

6. Drents Museum - overview of the reception area, photographed from the stairs (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

7. Drents Museum - overview of the reception area, photographed from the stairs (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

8. Drents Museum - José Luis Chea Urruela, minister of the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes in Guatemala, during his speech (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

9. Drents Museum - (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

10. Drents Museum - Jacques Tichelaar, Commissaris van de Koning in Drenthe/Commissary to the King in Drenthe, during his speech (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)

11. Drents Museum - Foreign guests and dignitaries are invited into the exhibit (photograph Erik Boot/MNU 2016)
For an alternative overview of the reception and the opening of February 27, 2016, posted by the Asser Courant, check their website here.