Cleveland Museum of Art

Incense Burner Support

Date

600–900

Medium

pottery with polychrome

Culture

Mexico, Chiapas, Palenque Region, Maya, Classic period

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This stand, made of a large tube with side panels, originally held a bowl used to ritually burn incense. Modeled on the front is a group that includes the Maya sun deity and two flanking, profile figures in lower relief. All are supported by a turtle, a symbol of the earth and the underworld. Thus, the ensemble may be a model of the cosmos. Calcium deposits indicate this incense burner was found in a cave, which the Maya viewed as entrances to the underworld.

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