Review: Design for Eternity: Architectural Models from the Ancient Americas

Abstract

Design for Eternity: Architectural Models from the Ancient Americas Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 26 October 2015–18 September 2016 The small but exciting exhibition Design for Eternity was precisely targeted to the topic of architectural models in ancient American art. Rather than focusing on regional styles or time periods, it displayed fifty-six objects solely on the basis of their status as small-scale representations of architecture, along with a few other materials to help contextualize them, including photos of archaeological sites and textiles. Made of clay, wood, stone, and metal, the artworks were products of various ancient American cultures, including Cupisnique, Moche, Chimu, Nazca, Inca, Nayarit, Teotihuacan, Maya, Aztec, and Mezcala. Highlighting the relationship of the models to real architectural space, the two side entrances to the gallery were decorated with motifs from Inca masonry walls, which are known for the incredible skill with which they were built. The exhibition was curated by Joanne Pillsbury, who provided extensive information on the forms, decorations, and motifs of the objects, especially in terms of how they related to the lives of ancient American peoples. The main questions guiding the exhibition concerned what these models meant to the people who created them and what modern visitors to the museum could learn through them. Despite research into Maya hieroglyphs, Aztec and …