During Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, we feature objects from Asia and the Pacific n the Maxwell's collections.
This brass and silver horn or trumpet, known as a kangling or rkang‐gling, was made in India for the Tibetan... read more
With more than two million objects in the Maxwell Museum collections, there a lot of stories to tell. Learn some of them here.
Detail of the makara head on the bell of Tibetan Buddhist kangling (MMA 68.59.91)
Posted on: Monday, May 3, 2021 - 6:15am
During Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, we feature objects from Asia and the Pacific n the Maxwell's collections.
This brass and silver horn or trumpet, known as a kangling or rkang‐gling, was made in India for the Tibetan... read more
Polychrome bowl by Robert Tenorio of Kewa Pueblo (Santo Domingo), ca. 1978.
Posted on: Monday, April 26, 2021 - 6:00am
This polychrome decorated ceramic bowl in the shape of a basket has an arched handle and two pouring spouts. It is decorated with geometric, floral, and animal designs on a white slip background, creating a striking contrast to the bowl’s red... read more
Turtle figurine by Frances P. Torivio
Posted on: Monday, April 19, 2021 - 6:00am
This ceramic figurine of a small turtle mounted on the back of a larger turtle is decorated with black-on-white geometric motifs was made by Frances P. Torivio (1905-2001) of Acoma Pueblo.
Frances (also named Sra-Ma-Tyai or Singing Child)... read more
Klagetoh weaving by Esther Billie (MMA 64.84.2)
Posted on: Monday, April 12, 2021 - 6:30am
This Klagetoh Diné (Navajo) rug was woven by Esther Billie between 1920 and 1940. Klagetoh is a regional style named after Klagetoh, Arizona.
Klagetoh rugs are related to the popular Ganado style, and both are from the Hubbell Revival... read more
Ceramic duck figurine by Rowena Him
Posted on: Monday, April 5, 2021 - 8:45am
This polychrome duck effigy vessel was created by Rowena Him of Zuni (A:shiwi) Pueblo in the 1980s. It was displayed at the 1984 Maxwell Museum exhibition "From the Center Place: Contemporary Zuni Pottery and Its Makers."
The Zuni peoples... read more
Bracelet by Archie Apachito (MMA 89.43.1)
Posted on: Monday, March 29, 2021 - 6:00am
This impressive sterling silver bracelet was created by Diné artisan Archie Apachito ca. 1980 using inset turquoise from Los Cerillos, New Mexico. While Navajo peoples have used turquoise and silver for many decades, silver working was not a part... read more
Gallup Black-on-white jar (MMA 47.11.20)
Posted on: Monday, March 22, 2021 - 6:00am
This Gallup Black-on-white jar excavated was from the fill of room 3 at Bc59, a small site located on the south side of Chaco Canyon, in July of 1947. Gallup Black-on-white vessels were made for approximately 170 years, from 980 to 1150 A.D. They... read more
Cocoon-shaped jar, China, Han Dynasty 221 BC-220 AD (MMA 2012.91.60)
Posted on: Monday, March 15, 2021 - 6:30am
This painted earthenware likely was a funerary offering in a Han Dynasty tomb, one of a suite of goods that accompanied the deceased into the afterlife. The vessel rests on a raised foot ring and its narrow neck suggest it was meant to held... read more
Samoan Tapa Cloth (83.13.1)
Posted on: Monday, March 8, 2021 - 6:00am
This tapa cloth, likely made from paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) bark, was gifted to donor Ira L. Kessler by a Samoan chief in 1943. The cloth’s age is evident by its tattered and fraying edges. The front side of the cloth has a design... read more
Ribboned hat (lixton pixolal), San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico (MMA 2018.23.76)
Posted on: Monday, March 1, 2021 - 6:00am
This man’s hat, with a flat brim adorned with red and green ribbons and a red tassel on top, is from the township of San Juan Chamula in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It is made from palm fiber, most likely Sabal mexicana, a fan palm species that... read more