With more than two million objects in the Maxwell Museum collections, there a lot of stories to tell. Learn more about some of them here.
Ci wara headdress (MMA 79.13.1)
Posted on: Monday, January 18, 2021 - 6:00am
Art historians consider the ci wara (first documented in print in 1912 by a Frenchman as “Tyi Ouara”) to be the iconic African sculpture. France colonized the region of West Africa now known as Mali (République du Mali) that included the Bamana... read more
Posted on: Monday, January 11, 2021 - 7:15am
This pictorial rug by Atsuma Blackhorse has a gray background with the central motif of a stylized Mimbres rabbit and a stylized Hopi (Sikyatki-style) bird, likely an eagle. There is a maroon border with grey and black geometric double hooks and... read more
Posted on: Monday, January 4, 2021 - 9:00am
This tall jar is utility ware vessel. As the name implies, this jar was used for everyday activities such as holding water, cooking, or other domestic uses at Kuaua Pueblo located north of Albuquerque at the Coronado Historic Site.
Utility... read more
Posted on: Monday, December 14, 2020 - 2:00pm
This blackware ceramic “Nacimiento” or nativity scene was made by Santa Clara potters Dorothy and Paul Gutierrez around 1975. It includes angels, animals, Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. A small wooden manger, made in... read more
Posted on: Monday, December 7, 2020 - 2:45pm
These two rugs were woven by Ellen Smith (left), a master weaver, and her granddaughter Angie Smith (right), who was age 14 at the time. They were both entered in the 1961 Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial, where Ellen won a special award and Angie... read more
Khipu detail. MMA 2000.6.1
Posted on: Monday, November 30, 2020 - 7:00am
From the early 1400s until the 1530s AD, the Inka ruled one of the world’s most extensive empires, Tawantinsuyu, the “Land of the Four Corners.” At its maximal extent, Inka territories extended some 2500 miles north-south along... read more
Coushatta turkey basket (MMA 76.33.2)
Posted on: Monday, November 23, 2020 - 5:45am
This turkey-shaped container is made of coiled pine needles, raffia, and pine cone. Made by an unknown artist of the Coushatta people of the Southeastern United States, the pine needles are bundled together and coiled to form the overall shape.... read more
Object Monday: Kʾúutìimʾé (Cochiti) Storyteller
Posted on: Monday, November 16, 2020 - 6:00am
This storyteller figurine by Dorothy Trujillo (1932-1999) shows a seated male figure wearing a squash blossom necklace and holding five children in his arms. One of the children is holding a ball. The adult figure has closed eyes and an open... read more
Cuneiform tablet from the reign of Rim-Sin I of Larsa. 67.134.2
Posted on: Monday, November 9, 2020 - 9:45am
One of the hallmarks of the state – ancient or modern – is bureaucracy. State administrators keep records of land, economic production, people, expenditures, and taxes. In ancient Mesopotamia, writing systems are believed to... read more
Picuris Pueblo Micaceous Bowl
Posted on: Monday, November 2, 2020 - 8:15am
This small ceramic bowl was created by Picuris Pueblo potter Anthony Durand in 1976. The bowl has a golden shine to it due to the mica found in clay deposits in Northern New Mexico... read more
