The Department of Art of the Ancient Americas, the Conservation Center, and the Publications Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) collaborated to conceive and produce this bilingual online publication, which presents extensive research on twenty-five Maya painted ceramic vessels from the museum’s collection undertaken as part of the Maya Vase Research Project, started in 2015. Conducted by a team of curators, conservators, a conservation scientist, a conservation photographer, and invited scholars, this interdisciplinary project examined the materials and artistic processes involved in the creation of these beautiful vases. A methodological approach centered around controlled microarchaeological investigation allowed each of these museum objects to reveal the kinds of knowledge and human skills involved in its conception and manufacturing, recovering cultural and social contexts that were lost in all of their modern histories through uncontrolled digging and the pressures of the international art market.

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews