Conch-Shell Trumpet
Artist
Unknown
CulturePre-Columbian | Maya | Guatemala
Date300-550
MediumHematite (mineral) incised on conch shell
Dimensions9 × 4 3/4 × 3 3/4 in. (22.9 × 12.1 × 9.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Edwin Pearlman and Museum purchase
Object number86.457
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThis Early Classic period conch-shell trumpet has four drilled holes so that a scale can be played. When the spire is at the bottom, the piece forms the head and headdress of a god.Label TextConch-Shell Trumpet Maya (Tikal Area, Petén, Guatemala), Early Classic Period, 300–550 C.E. Hematite (mineral) incised on conch shell Gift of Edwin Pearlman and Museum purchase 86.457 One of the most spectacular objects made by the Maya, this decorated shell was played like a trumpet in ceremonies. With its mouthpiece down, the conch’s spiraling form depicts the crowned head of Uc Zip, God of the Trumpet. (One of Uc Zip’s eyes is incised on the shell; the other is a drilled hole.) When played, the horn personified the actual god, the sound of his own voice communicating with other gods and ancestors. With its mouthpiece up (see illustrations), the conch reveals two other figures: the Moon Goddess and Juun Ajaw, a mythic hero who defeated the underworld gods. The accompanying hieroglyphs identify those figures and describe the trumpet’s owner as a k’ayoom, or singer. Exhibition History"Old Gods and Young Heroes: The Pearlman Collection of Maya Ceramics," The Israel Museum, The Maremont Pavilion of Ethnic Arts, Jerusalem, Spring 1982. (Exhib. cat. no. 63). "Old Gods and Young Heroes: The Pearlman Collection of Maya Ceramics," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, Oct. 28 - Dec. 18, 1983. "The Fiery Pool: The Maritime World of the Ancient Maya," Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA, March 27 - July 18, 2010; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX, August 29, 2010 - January 2, 2011; Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO, February 13 - May 15, 2011. "Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art," Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, November 14, 2022 – April 2, 2023; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX, May 7 – September 3, 2023. Published ReferencesMichael D. Coe, _Old Gods and Young Heroes: The Pearlman Collection of Maya Ceramics_ (Jerusalem: The Israel Museum, 1982), 120-123, fig. 63. Linda Schele and Mary Ellen Miller, _The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art_ (Fort Worth: Kimbell Art Museum, 1986), 308-309, 313, plate 121. Bézy, P., _Maya Shell Trumpets: A Musical Instrument as Ritual Implement_ MA Diss., University of Texas at Austin, 2006, 12, 97, Fig. 10. Jeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007), 18, fig. 7. ISBN: 978-0-940744-72-1 Daniel Finamore and Stephen D. Houston, _Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea_, exh. cat., Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA, 2010, 126-127. Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos, ed., _Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art_, exh. cat., Metropolitan Museum of Art in association with Yale University Press, New Haven, 2022, 81, fig. 54.
No Date
