The first "Bonus Round" of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge has gone live, and I can now re-share my entry here. These are the figures that started me on this Maya miniatures journey - the limited edition Maya King and Queen figures from my friend Chris. As far as he or I are aware, this is only the fifth painted set of these figures in the world.
These figures represent King Itzamnaaj Balaam III, "Shield Jaguar," and his aunt/wife Lady Xoc of the city-state of Yaxchilan. Shield Jaguar was born sometime in 647 CE, and assumed the throne on the 23rd of October, 681, reigning until his death on June 15th, 742 - dying at the age of 94-95, and reportedly having still led troops into battle into his 80s. His marriage to his aunt was likely done for political reasons, to cement support for his reign among the nobility. His named heir, Bird Jaguar IV, was born to his second wife, Lady Eveningstar, and a ten-year succession struggle took place following Shield Jaguar's death between the families of Lady Xoc and Lady Eveningstar before Bird Jaguar eventually took the throne.
These figures are specifically sculpted based on the image of Shield Jaguar and Lady Xoc that appears on Lintel 24, a spectacular piece of carved limestone commissioned by Lady Xoc for a building that was probably her private home; the Lintel currently resides in the British Museum, and is considered one of the best examples of Mayan art, showcasing the king and queen with minimal abstraction and a high degree of realism.
Lady Xoc is depicted kneeling in the midst of a sacred bloodletting ritual - having pierced her tongue with a stingray spine, she now draws a thorn-studded cotton rope through the opening. The rope absorbs the blood and channels it down to a box of paper sheets on the ground in front of her. The bloody paper will be burned and the will of the gods divined from their smoke. This sort of ritual was normally restricted to the king himself, so her being shown performing it shows just how much political and religious power she wielded. King Shield Jaguar holds high a torch, illuminating his wife as she performs this ritual.
King Shield Jaguar is on a 40mm base per "Tribal"'s suggestion for placing a warband's leader on a larger base, while Lady Xoc is on one for her to serve as an objective token for the game's scenario generator. I've built Shield Jaguar's base up with a few layers of cork and also added a bit of plastic foliage, tying him in to the jungle terrain I built last year. Speaking of which, I've been collecting supplies to double my collection of jungle terrain this year.
Miniatures Acquired: 4
Miniatures Painted: 8
Terrain Acquired: 0
Terrain Painted: 0
Scatter Acquired: 0
Scatter Painted: 0
Beautiful looking minis!
ReplyDeleteThank you! They were a joy to paint!
DeleteOuch. That bloodletting ritual...yikes! The minis look great -- love the details!
ReplyDeleteIt's a brutal one for sure! From what I've read it seems like the Maya were less interested in sacrificing prisoners than their northern cousins the Aztecs were - the Mayan gods were really eager for the king's blood, given freely. A very interesting distinction!
Deletethese came out nice. I like how the colors are not overly dramatic and bold but just bright enough to make a statement.
ReplyDeletethe blood and gore is nicely done also.
Thanks! I think I should go back and re-wash the gold with Reikland Flesh Shade to get some of the depth back, but overall I'm very pleased. If you look closely at the carving on Lintel 24, it looks like Lady Xoc's dress has almost a tartan pattern to it - not something I was feeling brave enough to try and paint!
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