Resource Spotlight | “The Arts of the Ancient Americas at the Dallas Museum of Art” by Michelle Rich

 

Seated man and woman
Culture: Jalisco
Date: 100 BCE–200 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Sculpture
Material and Technique: Ceramic and slip paint
Dimensions: Overall: 16 1/16 x 18 5/8 x 11 5/16 in. (40.8 x 47.3 x 28.734 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1973.58
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott, the McDermott Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
© Dallas Museum of Art

 
 
 

The Arts of the Ancient Americas at the Dallas Museum of Art

 
 

by Michelle Rich

 
 
 

An illustrated compendium of artworks from the ancient Americas. Including Indigenous works from the southwestern United States, Mesoamerica, the Isthmo-Colombian Area, and the Andes of South America, this book showcases more than 100 masterpieces of art from the ancient Americas. These are presented in historical, archaeological, and artistic context with new photography and scholarship. The publication considers ceramics, metalworks, stone carvings, and textiles from an array of America's earliest civilizations, including Ancestral Puebloan, Mexica, Olmec, Maya, Chavín, Inca, Moche, Wari, and more. Highlights include some exceptional rarities, including a Chavín crown with deity figures, a previously undefined style of four-panel Andean tunics, a Mixtec mosaic mask, a Maya lidded tetrapod bowl, and breathtaking gold jewelry from the Isthmo-Colombian Area.

 
 

Published by Yale University Press.

 
 

Mantle with Condors
Culture: Paracas
Date: 300–100 BCE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Textiles
Material and Technique: Camelid fiber
Dimensions: 51 3/4 × 108 × 1/8 in. (131.45 cm × 2 m 74.32 cm × 0.32 cm) Framed dimensions: 59 × 116 × 3 1/2 in. (149.86 cm × 2 m 94.64 cm × 8.89 cm)
Location: Currently not on view
Object Number: 1972.4.McD
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., in memory of John O'Boyle
© Dallas Museum of Art

 
 
 

A Preview by Steven G. Alpert

The Dallas Museum is a major art destination where one can discover and enjoy masterworks and renowned collections.

An outstanding new publication, The Arts of the Ancient Americas, is the final book in a quartet of recent volumes that include the initial publication of the Arts of Africa (2009), the award-winning Eyes of the Ancestors, the Arts of Island Southeast Asia (2012), The Arts of India, Southeast Asia and the Himalayas (2013) that document the global artworks in the DMA's collection.

This volume, edited and stewarded by Dr. Michelle Rich, the DMA's Curator of the Arts of the Americas, with the addition of contributions from diverse authors, provides the field with an updated text and insightful information. The book is greatly enhanced by the work of DMA's photographer, Brad Flowers. The consistency of his images, many of which are sublime, running cover to cover and throughout this major publication, add to the catalog's overall cohesion and wide-ranging presentation of venerable material from America's Southwest, Mesoamerica, Central, and South America in one scintillating volume.

Mesoamerica is represented in this presentation by outstanding works from the West coast, Puebloan and Mexica, Olmec, and Maya peoples. Ancient artifacts are also celebrated from Chavin, Paracas, Wari, Moche, and Inca cultural horizons spanning some 2,500 years from ca. 1000 BC to 1500 AD. The quality of the best of these items is breathtaking and a paean to human ingenuity and imagination. The sheer volume and wide range of funerary items visually enforced the consanguineous power of the ruling classes and their adherents. The materials described in The Arts of Ancient Americas range from pleasing everyday items to fragments of monumental architecture to regalia that, in life and death, often glorified rulers while supernaturally reaffirming the cosmic order of all things. 

There are 3,615 items, or approximately fifteen percent of the museum's total collection, currently being stewarded by the DMA, representing the genius, creativity, and world views of various groups of indigenous Americans. Arts of the Ancient Americans illustrates these items with thoughtful entries and informative text. In this volume, history, context, function, and explanations of the sundry materials employed by ancient Americans, including items fashioned from clay, stone, jade, fiber, gold, copper, and wood, are well described to further frame a mind-boggling array of artifacts. 

Some of our favorites include two Olmec masterpieces; the seated jade figure in a ritual pose and a riveting jadeite mask. Speaking of pathos and traveling through time, Dallas' famous Jalisco couple with a man putting his arm around his female counterpart as they gaze off into the distance always delivers. The DMA's remarkable obsidian flint depicting a crocodile as a sky-crossing canoe with passengers is about as refined and sacred as an object can be from any culture or time horizon.  

In the realm of textiles, from a perfect Paracas mantle to a boldly abstract red, black, and white checkered Inca tunic are among the special textiles in this collection. Their pristine condition is essential to showing textiles as art as the colors are still rich and the material intact even after many centuries. Several of the finest items, such as repousse gold beakers, mortuary masks, and pectorals, from the famous dealer/collector John Wise's former collection are also showcased. There is just so much to celebrate in this marvelous new addition to the lexicon of The Dallas Museum of Art's tradition of producing fine publications.

Steven G. Alpert, founder of Art of the Ancestors

 
 

Seated ruler in ritual pose
Culture: Olmec
Date: 900–500 BCE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Sculpture
Material and Technique: Serpentine and cinnabar
Dimensions: Overall: 7 7/32 x 5 3/8 x 3 1/16 in. (18.34 x 13.65 x 7.78 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1983.50
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Eugene McDermott, The Roberta Coke Camp Fund, and The Art Museum League Fund
© Dallas Museum of Art

Mask
Culture: Olmec
Date: 900–500 BCE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Costume
Material and Technique: Jadeite
Dimensions: Overall: 7 1/8 x 6 9/16 x 4 in. (18.11 x 16.66 x 10.16 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1973.17
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott and The Eugene McDermott Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
© Dallas Museum of Art

Lidded bowl with a man riding a peccary
Culture: Maya
Date: 250–550 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Containers
Material and Technique: Ceramic
Dimensions: 9 1/8 x 6 3/16 x 6 3/16 in. (23.18 x 15.72 x 15.72 cm) Height: 9 1/8 in. (23.178 cm) Diameter: 6 3/16 in. (15.718 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1972.10.A-B
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association purchase
© Dallas Museum of Art

Black-and-white checkerboard tunic
Culture: Inca (Inka)
Date: 1400–1540
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Textiles
Material and Technique: Camelid fiber
Dimensions: Overall: 34 3/4 x 31 1/2 in. (88.265 x 80.01 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1995.32.McD
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc. in honor of Carol Robbins
© Dallas Museum of Art

Tunic with profile heads and step frets
Culture: Wari (Huari)
Date: 850–950 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Textiles
Material and Technique: Cotton and camelid fiber
Dimensions: Overall: 40 1/4 x 40 1/4 in. (102.235 x 102.235 cm)
Location: Currently not on view
Object Number: 2004.55.McD
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., in honor of Carol Robbins' 40th anniversary with the Dallas Museum of Art
© Dallas Museum of Art

Eccentric flint depicting a crocodile canoe with passengers
Culture: Maya
Date: 600–900 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Sculpture
Material and Technique: Flint
Dimensions: Overall: 9 3/4 x 16 3/16 x 11/16 in. (24.765 x 41.12 x 1.748 cm)
Location: Currently not on view
Object Number: 1983.45.McD
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., in honor of Mrs. Alex Spence
© Dallas Museum of Art

Ceremonial mask
Culture: Sicán (Lambayeque)
Date: 900–1100 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Costume
Material and Technique: Gold, copper, and paint
Dimensions: Overall: 11 3/4 x 17 3/8 x 1 3/4 in. (29.84 x 44.13 x 4.445 cm) Weight: 7.21 oz. (0.2044 kg)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1969.1.McD
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
© Dallas Museum of Art

Ceremonial tumi
Culture: Sicán (Lambayeque)
Date: 900–1100 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Tools and Equipment
Material and Technique: Gold, silver, and turquoise
Dimensions: Overall: 14 3/4 x 4 7/8 x 1 3/4 in. (37.47 x 12.38 x 4.44 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1976.W.535
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott Family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison
© Dallas Museum of Art

Xipe Totec impersonator
Culture: Aztec (Mexica)
Date: 1350–1521
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Sculpture
Material and Technique: Volcanic stone, shell, and pigment
Dimensions: Overall: 27 1/2 x 11 x 8 3/4 in. (69.85 x 27.94 x 22.2 cm)
Location: Native North American Art - Hoblitzelle Gallery, Level 4
Object Number: 1973.65
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott, the McDermott Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
© Dallas Museum of Art

Stirrup-spout bottle: monkey head
Culture: Moche
Date: 200–450 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Containers
Material and Technique: Ceramic, slip, and paint
Dimensions: 8 × 5 1/2 × 4 3/4 in. (20.32 × 13.97 × 12.07 cm)
Location: Currently not on view
Object Number: 1976.W.107
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott Family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison
© Dallas Museum of Art

Incised cylinder vessel depicting an enthroned lord and god K
Culture: Maya
Date: 600–900 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Containers
Material and Technique: Ceramic, stucco and paint
Dimensions: Height: 9 in. (22.86 cm) Diameter: 7 1/8 in. (18.096 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1973.32
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott, the McDermott Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
© Dallas Museum of Art

Featherwork neckpiece
Culture: Chimú
Date: 1400–1550
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Textiles
Material and Technique: Cotton, feathers, and shell beads
Dimensions: Overall: 13 1/4 x 11 1/2 in. (33.655 x 29.21 cm)
Location: Currently not on view
Object Number: 1972.23.1.McD
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
© Dallas Museum of Art

Mask, possibly of Tlaloc
Culture:
Mixtec-Aztec (Mexica)
Date: 1350–1521
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Costume
Material and Technique: Wood, turquoise, shell, lignite and resin
Dimensions: Overall: 7 11/16 x 6 5/16 x 3 5/8 in. (19.53 x 16.04 x 9.21 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1979.2
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Roberta Coke Camp Fund
© Dallas Museum of Art

Seated figure
Culture: Jalisco
Date: 100 BCE–250 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Sculpture
Material and Technique: Ceramic, slip: Ameca Gray Type
Dimensions: Overall: 12 1/4 x 11 1/4 x 10 3/4 in. (31.11 x 28.575 x 27.31 cm)
Location: Currently not on view
Object Number: 1972.9
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund
© Dallas Museum of Art

Pendant depicting a frontal bird flanked by profile birds
Culture: Tairona
Date: 1000–1550
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Jewelry
Material and Technique: Tumbaga
Dimensions: 3 1/2 × 2 1/8 × 1 3/8 in. (8.89 × 5.4 × 3.49 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1985.164
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Nora Wise
© Dallas Museum of Art

Pectoral maskette
Culture: Mixtec
Date: 1350–1521
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Jewelry
Material and Technique: Gold
Dimensions: Overall: 3 1/2 x 3 7/8 x 1 1/2 in. (8.89 x 9.84 x 3.81 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1983.W.1
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott Family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison
© Dallas Museum of Art

Beaker depicting the sicán lord holding a spondylus shell
Culture: Sicán (Lambayeque)
Date: 900–1100 CE
Department: Indigenous American Art
Classification: Containers
Material and Technique: Gold
Dimensions: 10 × 8 1/4 × 8 1/4 in. (25.4 × 20.96 × 20.96 cm)
Location: Ancient Art of the Americas - A. H. Meadows Galleries, Level 4
Object Number: 1976.W.540
Credit Line: Dallas Museum of Art, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott Family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison
© Dallas Museum of Art

 
 

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