Rattle of a Man Wearing a Bird Mask

Maya

1 of 8

Object Label

Solid and hollow Maya ceramic figurines like these representing men wearing elaborate animal headdresses and masks are common funerary items, found primarily on Jaina Island in Mexico. High social status is indicated by the elaborate regalia and ornaments. The nobleman in the center wears a removable serpent-head headdress decorated with precious quetzal feathers, possibly associating him with the Feathered Serpent deity Kukulcán. The whistle on the left depicts a man wearing a jaguar mask and sacrificial scarf emblematic of the God of the Underworld. The rattle on the right represents a man wearing a bird mask and holding two rattles. His large, feathered back ornament is an attribute of the turkey or vulture. Turkeys (associated with fertility) and vultures (associated with sacrifice) were used as ceremonial offerings.


Figurillas maya sólidas y huecas como éstas, representando hombres que visten elaborados tocados animales y máscaras, son objetos funerarios comunes, encontrados principalmente en la Isla Jaina en México. La alta posición social se indica por los ropajes elaborados y la ornamentación. El hombre al centro lleva un tocado removible de cabeza de serpiente decorado con preciosas plumas de quetzal, asociándolo posiblemente a la deidad Kukulcán, la Serpiente Emplumada. El silbato a la izquierda muestra un hombre llevando una máscara de jaguar y un pañuelo ceremonial emblemático del Dios del Inframundo. La maraca a la derecha representa a un hombre llevando una máscara de pájaro, y sosteniendo dos maracas. El gran ornamento de plumas que lleva a su espalda es un atributo del pavo o zopilote. Pavos (asociados con fertilidad) y zopilotes (asociados con sacrificio) eran utilizados como ofrendas ceremoniales.

Caption

Maya. Rattle of a Man Wearing a Bird Mask, 500–850. Ceramic, 7 1/4 x 5 x 3 1/4 in. (18.4 x 12.7 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Frank Sherman Benson Fund and the Henry L. Batterman Fund, 37.2785PA. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.2785PA_overall_PS11.jpg)

Culture

Maya

Title

Rattle of a Man Wearing a Bird Mask

Date

500–850

Period

Pre-Spanish

Medium

Ceramic

Classification

Musical Instrument

Dimensions

7 1/4 x 5 x 3 1/4 in. (18.4 x 12.7 x 8.3 cm)

Credit Line

Frank Sherman Benson Fund and the Henry L. Batterman Fund

Accession Number

37.2785PA

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

Frequent Art Questions

  • Tell about these.

    These Mayan figurines are hollow and represent men wearing elaborate headdresses in various animal forms, such as a jaguar. These kinds of adornments represent high social status. Additionally, like the whistle you sent before they have musical elements.
    The man with jaguar headdress is a whistle and the man wearing the bird mask is a rattle. These were common funerary items on Jaina Island in Mexico and likely served a ritual purpose.

Have information?

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at

bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.