RON HENGGELER |
April 23, 2008
Rubbing from the ballcourt at Chichen Itza
"To this day the city of San Francisco remains to the Chinese the Great City of the Golden Mountains."
Kai Fu Shah, Chinese Minister to U.S. 1914
Below is a photo that I took of Merle Greene Robertson standing in front of her rubbing that is on permanent display at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.
Sunrise this morning after last night's April shower. |
The informational placard that accompanies the rubbing reads: Rubbing from the ballcourt at Chichen Itza Mid-20th century Ink on rice paper These rubbings on rice paper were made by Merle Greene Robertson, a distinguished Bay Area scholar and artist. The scene shown here, depicting the culmination of a ballgame sacrifice, is from the Great Ballcourt. A kneeing member of the loosing team has been beheaded. The figure on the left is the sacrificer, holding the head of the decapitated victim in his left hand and the knife in his right. Blood, in the form of six serpents and one plant stem, spurts from the neck of the victim, shown on the right. The ball is in the center panel. Inside the ball is a skull, symbolizing the victim’s decapitation. Hallucinogenic morning glories and their vines fill the space above the ball. |
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