Lot 3

Exhibited Maya Palenque Rubbing - Temple of the Cross

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Lot 3
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Exhibited Maya Palenque Rubbing - Temple of the Cross
Exhibited Maya Palenque Rubbing - Temple of the Cross
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Exhibited Maya Palenque Rubbing - Temple of the Cross

Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000

Current Bid: $1,800

(1 Bid)
by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT (In Progress)
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Anonymous, possibly Merle Greene Robertson (American archeologist, 1913-2011). Rubbing of Pacal from the Sanctuary Tablet in the Temple of the Cross, Palenque, Mexico. Rubbing on paper, ca. early to mid-1950s CE. A monumental archeological rubbing capturing the image of Pacal from the Sanctuary Tablet in the Temple of the Cross, this work preserves in stark, graphic clarity one of the most profound royal statements of Classic Maya kingship. Rendered in dark pigment against a warm, fibrous ground, the standing ruler is framed by vertical columns of hieroglyphs, his body adorned with elaborate regalia and headdress elements that align him visually and symbolically with the sacred axis of the cosmos. The original relief comes from the Temple of the Cross, the largest and most significant structure within Palenque's Temple of the Cross Complex in Chiapas, Mexico. Size of rubbing: 24.75" W x 67.5" H (62.9 cm x 171.4 cm); of frame: 26.75" W x 69.5" H (67.9 cm x 176.5 cm)

Constructed to commemorate the accession of Chan Bahlum II following the death of Pacal the Great, the temple enshrines a sophisticated theological vision of kingship. At its portal appears a variant of the Maya World Tree, a cross-shaped axis representing the center of the cosmos, often understood as the Milky Way. Entwined with the Serpent Bar of authority and crowned by the Celestial Bird, this Tree formed the pathway along which gods and ancestors traveled between realms.

In the full sculptural program from which this rubbing derives, the deceased Pacal presents his son with a scepter in the form of the Cosmic Monster that rests at the base of the World Tree - the same sun-marked being that carried Pacal into Xibalba. Chan Bahlum stands as both heir and embodiment of this axis, reinforcing the idea that the king was not merely a ritual participant but the living conduit between the earthly and supernatural worlds. The hieroglyphic bands bordering the figure reinforce this narrative of dynastic continuity and sacred obligation.

Likely produced in the early to mid-1950s by an American archeologist - possibly Merle Greene Robertson, who was known for her meticulous documentation of Maya monuments - this rubbing was exhibited at the American Federation of Arts in New York in the landmark exhibition "Stone Rubbings from Pre-Columbian Monuments" from March 1958 to March 1959. As both scholarly record and evocative work on paper, the piece translates the depth and texture of Palenque's limestone relief into a powerful graphic testament to Classic Maya cosmology and royal ideology.

Publication: This piece was exhibited at the American Federation of Arts in New York, New York in the exhibition "Stone Rubbings from Pre-Columbian Monuments" from March 1958 to March 1959 (inventory number AFA-27).

Provenance: private collection of important Hollywood family, collected between 1930 and 1980; ex-Obelisk Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA

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Item # 200846

  • Condition: Rubbing is mounted on cardboard and fit in custom frame with suspension wire on verso for display. Some small losses, chips, tears, creasing, and discoloring to paper, as well as age-expected fading of pigments. Frame has nicks and abrasions. Otherwise, imagery is overall very clear. Exhibition label on verso from the American Federation of Arts. Label incorrectly identifies this rubbing as being from the Temple of the Foliated Cross.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000