The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Incense Burner
600–1000
Overall: 16.3 x 25.5 cm (6 7/16 x 10 1/16 in.)
Bequest of Harley Lee 1991.211
Location: Not on view
Description
According to the Popol Vuh, a sixteenth-century Quiché Maya manuscript, the world has been created and destroyed twice, and we now live in the third creation. In the second creation, human beings were made from wood and reeds. They lacked souls and minds, and they did not revere their creator. Because of these imperfections, most were killed by an uprising of utensils and domestic animals. Monkeys are the descendents of the survivors.- Appleby, Zoe, and Tess Artis. "Creation." In Creation and (Re)birth, edited by Gerhard Lutz, and Elina Gertsman, 5-7. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2024. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 6-7, fig. 5
- {{cite web|title=Incense Burner|url=false|author=|year=600–1000|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1991.211