![]() Anything of value is susceptible to forgery, and Dee moved in spiritualist circles that included known forgers like the alchemist Edward Kelly. Just because the mirror resembles those in the manuscript does not mean, however, that it is the real deal. These objects were associated with the god Tezcatlipoca (literally “smoking mirror”), the authors explain, and were used for scrying, or examining the future. The book depicts images of the tribute that indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica were forced to pay to the Spanish conquistadors and among jewelry and other precious objects were at least 10 obsidian mirrors. Visually it resembles drawings of black mirrors that appear in the pages of codex Tepetlaoztoc, a 16th century Aztec book made by residents of Tepetlaoztoc in Central Mexico. The mirror in question is part of a cluster of obsidian artefacts in the British Museum and measures about 7.2 inches in diameter and half an inch thick. A just-published scientific study has tracked its origins to 16th century Mexico and the religious rituals of the Aztecs. ![]() Despite its popularity, however, the mirror’s history was shrouded in mystery. ![]() Among them was his speculum, a hand mirror made of polished obsidian (volcanic glass), that was also known as “the Devil’s Looking-Glass.” This mystical device for talking to the dead was coveted by his peers and later generations it was acquired by politician and writer Horace Walpole before winding its way into the British Museum, where it resides today. įor more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.When Elizabeth I’s scientific adviser and “philosopher” John Dee died in 1609 at the age of 81 he left behind a trove of unusual artifacts. Read more stories from The Art Newspaper here. This is the first nose ornament of its kind that archaeologists have found in Palenque, although artistic depictions of figures wearing such pieces appear elsewhere at the site - carved onto the lid of the sarcophagus of the famed 7th-century Mayan king Kʼinich Janaab Pakal at his burial chamber at Palenque, for instance, and also appearing on an oval tablet depicting Pakal and his mother. ![]() González Cruz said this was likely an attempt to echo the elongated head of K’awiil, who was often portrayed as a personification of an ear of corn. When worn, the ornament would have sat on the bridge of the nose, creating a continuous line from the forehead to the tip of the nose. Placed with it were seeds, small animal bones, obsidian blades and large pieces of coal. The bone was buried in what archaeologists believe was a ritual deposit, interred between 600CE and 850CE to commemorate the completion of a building. INAH’s team found the object while conducting conservation work at the Palace of Palenque, an elaborate complex at the center of the pre-Hispanic city and National Park of Palenque, a Unesco World Heritage site. ![]() He is accompanied by a skull and carries a bundle that is a common icon in Maya funerary scenes, according to González Cruz. The central figure is a Mayan man, shown in profile wearing a headdress and a beaded necklace, and with the Mayan glyph for “darkness” on his arm. The ornament is made of a fragment of the distal tibia, a bone which helps to form the ankle joint, and features engravings that symbolize ceremonial communications with gods and ancestors. It is also an important example of Mayan artistic sensibilities, Arnoldo González Cruz, director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which conducted the excavations, said in a statement. The curved artefact, which measures just over 6 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide (or roughly 2.4 by 2 inches), offers insight into ancient funerary traditions it is believed to have been worn by priests during ceremonies in which they embodied the Mayan deity K’awiil, also known as God K, who is associated with lightning, fertility and abundance. (CNN) - Archaeologists working in the ruins of Palenque, an ancient city in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, have found a centuries-old, intricately carved Mayan nose ornament made of human bone. Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by The Art Newspaper, an editorial partner of CNN Style. ![]()
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