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Rebecca Maisto
A. Rajagopalan
2/3/13
Formal Analysis/Assignment 1
Maya Art
The Moon Goddess and the Creation of the Rabbit
The Maya polychrome vase Kerr Number 559 is labeled by the Museum
of Fine Arts at Boston as, Moon goddess giving birth to the rabbit. Goddess
O helps the rabbit nurse. Vitality and movement radiate from the
composition and central figures. The vase may indicate a relationship
between celestial Gods and Maya norms of caring for their newborns.
Kerr Number 559 is in fairly good condition, except for a few minor
surface scratches. The dimensions are a height of seventeen centimeters, a
diameter of ten and one half centimeters, and a circumference of about
thirty-three centimeters. Multiple glyphs and figures in the composition
function together in order to tell the story and context. The narrative painted
on the vase consists of the moon goddess giving birth to a rabbit, followed
by Goddess O and a midwife nursing the rabbit. The arrangement of the
figures on the landscape composition reads from left to right. First, starting
with the left and moving to the right, a large blood glyph, possibly
representing afterbirth, sprouts from an unknown structure. The Moon
Goddess is sitting down facing the blood glyph while giving birth to the
rabbit. Her gaze is directed towards the rabbit and away from the mid wife
and goddess O in following next scene. Behind the moon goddess there is a
form of a chair or throne goddess O is sitting on. She is holding the rabbit on

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her lap while facing goddess O, helping goddess O nurse the newborn rabbit.
Colors used on the vases imagery are red and black, characteristic
paint colors of Mesoamerican art. The colors are applied realistically to the
clothes, headdresses, adornments and body paint. Detailed body paint
consisting of swirls and organic lines cover the limbs and faces on the moon
goddess, midwife and goddess O. Their body paints may indicate a
connection to ritual. Elements of composition in this piece suggest energy
and movement without a chaotic arrangement. Flowing organic lines creating
the figures and glyphs draw in the viewers eyes. The viewer can separate
the two scenes in the narrative image due to the chair in the center of the
image, separating the Moon Goddesss birth scene and nursing scene.
Perhaps this structure is a type of throne, as it appears to be decorated with
obsidian mirrors and other adornments.
Unity within the artwork is seen throughout the entire piece, especially
noting the location of deities, the rabbit and the midwife. There is an equal
amount of space between each figure creating equal distances of order and
harmony. Instead of cluttering the scene with glyphs and iconography, the
artist (or artists) chose to create an orderly scene, resulting in easy viewing
and connotation. The eyes move along the scene smoothly due to the
repetition of the main figures and simplistic colors.
The focal point of the composition is on the moon goddess since she
has the darkest coloring. Emphasis given to the moon goddess is indicative
of the artist placing importance on the deity. She is shown as more

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significant than her newborn rabbit, goddess O, or her helpful midwife. As
the eye travels across the scene, it is continuously guided by the black,
even, contour lines that make up the composition. The variety of shapes
within the imagery is pleasing to the viewer, and not overwhelming due to
the strategic placement of the organic and geometric shapes not
overcrowding the background. The balance of this composition is created by
the flawless repetition of the main figures, and is emphasized through the
even spacing between each character. Every space is filled with imagery,
yet the organization does not let the scene appear cluttered.
The proportions of the figures are naturalistic, except for the rabbit
that is idealized and contrasts starkly with the realistic proportions of the
deities and midwife. It is possible the artist did not desire to place emphasis
on the rodent, in order to avoid assigning importance to the wrong figures in
the composition. The lack of attention to naturalistic details given to the
rabbit as a whole is much less than the attention to naturalism given to the
deities and midwife. For example, the rabbits limbs are more human than
rabbit, and his eyes are simple circles.
Perhaps there was more than one artist at work on this vase. The two
rabbits are remarkably different in style. The moon goddesss rabbit is more
naturalistic in appearance, and the head resembles the glyphic
representation of a rabbit. In total contrast, the rabbit in the midwifes arms
is more figurative, and almost appears to resemble a small bear including
pointy elbows, and hands that are not quite connected to the rest of its body.

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Further evidence of more than one artist is seen in the difference of style in
the moon goddess compared to the other figures. The eyes and limbs of
Goddess O and the midwife are rounder and less stylized compared to the
moon goddesss sharp gaze and strong body. The narrative on the vase is
endless due to its jug shape- meaning the moon goddess will give birth
cyclically, forever. The midwife and Goddess O will always tend to her rabbit.
The midwife and Goddess O are doing more than nursing the rabbit, though.
Both figures are looking up, gazing into the sky- possibly asking for the
rabbits wellbeing from the gods. Another interesting detail of the midwife is
her lack of Maya facial features. Her forehead is not sloped, and her eyes
are rounded, clearly identifying her as a lower rank than the deities that
surround her.
Due to the excellent physical condition of the piece, I believe the vase
could have been kept in a domestic setting such as a house or a form of
nursery. The potential of the vase kept and used in a domestic context such
as a nursery may allude to Maya childcare norms. The narrative scene on the
vase denotes that Maya women, of elite status, kept midwives to care for
their infants and children. The narrative may also indicate the vases
production purpose as an expectant mothers gift or newly born childs gift.
The celestial scene on the vase is formally beautiful and filled with
iconography. The inclusion of the midwife indicates her important role in
Maya society- helping mothers nurse and care for their newborns. The moon

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goddesss maternal image of delivering the rabbit and passing it to her
midwife reveals the customs and norms for childcare in Maya culture.

Kerr 559