The Second-Most Popular Maya Art in Ancient Times (Right after Cooking!)
with Mark Van Stone, Ph.D., G.F.
In 2014, Mark Van Stone discovered a rich collection of 208 ancient Maya Molds in the Ruta Maya Foundation collection. Along the way, he has learned a great deal about the role played in Maya society by Maya figurines. You’ll never guess! As he puts it, “Unlike all other Maya artworks, figurines were not just for the elites – They were accessible to everyone. This compelling feature kept us going for all this time!” Since then, he has worked – with co-author Paul Johnson – on a catalog of the molds, and it will be published in April by Tlacaélel Press.
Mark Van Stone
is a lifelong autodidact, netsuke carver in Japan, clay-animator, Guggenheim Fellow, with a Ph.D. in Maya Hieroglyphs (UT-Austin). A gamma-ray astronomy tech with a BA in Physics, then a calligrapher, carver, and paleographer, Mark is now professor of Art History. Mark’s approach to understanding the craft and practicing it: “Picking up a pen or a chisel will teach you something about paleography or sculpture, that you can learn in no other way.” In 1997, Michael Coe invited him to be co-author for Reading the Maya Glyphs – because, Coe said, “You’re a calligrapher. Your glyph drawings are the best.” Mark’s most recent book, Maya Mold Made (with co-author Paul Johnson), is a catalog of Ancient Maya ceramic molds and an investigation into the function of Maya figurines. molds
Maya Mold Made is available on Amazon.
The richly illustrated full-color book is available on Amazon and at other outlets.
(Link to be added.)