About this artwork
Ruth Reeves created Maya after studying stone and ceramic depictions of Mayan and Aztec glyphs (systems of writing). The work includes Reeves’s interpretation of three symbols for water that she used to build her composition.
In the early 20th century, American designers like Reeves sought new, non-European sources of inspiration for textile and fashion design. The American Museum of Natural History spearheaded the movement in 1915 by making their Indigenous North and South American collections accessible to artists in an effort to foster a new American design aesthetic.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 263
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Department
- Textiles
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Artists
- Ruth Reeves (Designer) , Morley Fletcher Ltd. (Manufacturer)
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Title
- Maya, Double Headed Serpent
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Places
- New York (Object made in), United States (Object made in), North and Central America (Object made in), New York City (Object made in)
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Dates
- Designed 1931 , Printed 1948
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Medium
- Linen, plain weave; screen printed
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Inscriptions
- Designed by Ruth Reeves for Morley-Fletcher Ltd Peruvian Linen Signed in the selvage: “Maya by Ruth Reeves”
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Dimensions
- Unfolded: 235 × 131.5 cm (92 1/2 × 51 3/4 in.); 235 × 121 cm (92 1/2 × 47 5/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Barbara Howard Estate Fund
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Reference Number
- 2018.209