lintel
- Museum number
- Am.9935
- Description
-
Fragment of wooden lintel with carved figures.
- Production date
- 250-900
- Dimensions
-
Height: 83 centimetres
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Width: 25 centimetres
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Depth: 1 centimetres
- Curator's comments
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Comment from record for Am1992,Q.7:
Other, larger fragment probably in Basel, Switzerland.
Found unnumbered in Ethnography Department collections. Given to Christy Collection on 29/12/ 1876 by J.W. Boddam Wetham. Apparently intended to be registered as Christy 9935 (Four-figure series). See Christy Additions, 1868-77, p.277 and Christy Acquisitions, 1874-93, p.12 (where described as "Sculpture from Mexico" !).
See Baddeley, O "The Art of Ancient Mexico. Supplement to the Catalogue. Loans from the British Museum", London,1992 p.11, no.160.
See also: A. P. Maudslay: "Biologia Centrali-America", in particular drawing and photograph showing probable location of the lintel fragment.
Part of Am1992,Q.06
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From: Boddam-Whetham, J. W. (1877). Across Central America. Hurst and Blackett, pp.301-302.
'At Flores I had obtained two wooden panels*, that had been taken from a lower room in one of the opened houses at Tickal. These panels were of very hard wood, from a tree known as the "small sapote", and were covered with carved hieroglyphs. As no other relics of any kind had been found, I consoled myself with the idea that probably the unopened houses contained no curiosities.'
* These two wooden panels, with ancient hieroglyphic carvings, have, since this work was written, been presented by the Collection in South Kensington.
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Christy Temporary Register "Additions, 1868-1877", p.277: "1876, December 29. Presented by W.Boddam Whetham Esq. Two sculptured slabs of hard wood. Peten. Guatemala." Christy Acquisitions, 1874-1893, p.12: "Two Mexican sculptures. 279.12.[18]76. 9934-9935." [NB no means of acquisition given; 9934-9935 refers to Christy "Four Figure" register sequence].
Neither item is listed in Christy "Four Figure" Register or on Christy Slips, where the entries for these numbers are for items from Oceania (Cook Islands).
This lintel (Christy 9935) was found apparently unnumbered in the collections in 1992 and Q-Registered as Q1992,Am.7. (AMD,12/2001).
One of two items numbered Christy 9934. (Other is woman's garment from Cook Islands, Oceania).
See Christy Correspondence:
(1) Letter from M A Boddam Whetham, Kirklington Hall, Southwell, Notts, 10 January 1877 in response to request for direct communication regarding his son's gift of 'the carved wood'
(2) Extract from J W Boddam Whetham's letter - 'I send two pieces of wood carved with Hieroglyhphics that I got at Peten from the ruins of Tickal - These I think are valuable - I shd like to know if the Hieroglyphics are the same as those on some of the Idols at Copan No wood of any sort has ever been found amongst the ruins of Palenque. These formed part of a sort of Cornice running round the room'
(2) Second Extract - similar but not identical.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
1992, London, Hayward Gallery, Art of Ancient Mexico
- Acquisition date
- 1876
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Am.9935
- Additional IDs
-
CDMS number: Am1876C1.9935 (old CDMS no.)
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Other BM number: Am1992,Q.7 (re-registered as, in error)
