Bonampak (1 Viewer)

[blaster]

This diorama was made more than 30 years ago. Lights used were old fashioned fluorescent tubes. The piece had lain forgotten and I've decided to repair and enhance the piece, complete with replacing the lighting with LED lights.

Bonampak was the main Mayan site with huge painted wall effigies.

 

[blaster]

I removed the stage from the shadow box. I intend to spruce up the wall paintings. The stage was made from Cardboard. The rooms were reinforced by cross beams which jut out from the side walls. I've draped some rugs to add decorative elements to the scene.

All the actors were gathered for examination. There is a king with an elaborate headdress and his son, priests and nobles and victims. The figures were based largely on Preiser figures to speed up the work then. I intend to re-sculpt these figures as well.

I had planned for this piece to have more figures. There were 3 rooms at Bonampak. This diorama is based on Room 2 which showed a battle scene. The other two rooms showed ceremonial scenes. I plan to create the figures based on the other ceremonial scenes, thus in effect, representing Bonampak. In summary, these paintings were done about AD792. Collectively, they commemorate a battle and victory by a king Chaan Muwan of Bonampak, a vassal of nearby King Jaguar Shield III of Yaxchilan. He is sacrificing victims in the victory celebrations and there is also a presentation to the other nobles of a child, probably his heir apparent.

i am also toying with the presentation. The room had no windows except an opening thru a doorway in the centre. Thus I may replace the viewing frame. The fluorescent light tube is to be replaced with LED light strips. We'll see.

 

[blaster]

These are some of the figures and artefacts which I had modelled to place within the diorama. I've decided to remodel these figures and to add more as well.

 

[blaster]

Bonampak had three rooms. Since I made this diorama, more info has been shed on the murals. So I've decided to extend this diorama to represent the three rooms. I found a dimension of the building and have started on this. Looks like its going to be quite big.

 

[Napoleon1er]

This is truly spectacular -- horrifying, but spectacular. Well done!

 

[blaster]

Hello Nap,

Thanks for yr compliment. The Mayans were anything but peaceful, according to more recent research.

Here's more of the other rooms being made up.

 

[blaster]

Ive reshaped the priest into a portly figure.

 

[blaster]

Here is the resculpted priest, awating more details.

I've read more into the Mayan physical appearances, their deformed head skulls, height, stature, face and body painting, dressing etc. Making these figures would be quite interesting.

 

[blaster]

I’m enjoying a beautifully illustrated book by Mary Miller on Bonampak. The flooring of the middle room was about 10 cm higher than the other two rooms. I decided to add a layer of card to simulate this increased height.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Another fascinating project, Victor! As always I look forward to following your progress.

 

[blaster]

Hi Louis,
I was fascinated with Bonampak even as a kid when I first saw those amazing murals featured. Finally got a great book by the lead archaeologist Mary Miller and am now poring over the book. I’m altering the dimensions of the rooms slightly with wood and cardboard.
This is a well worn path and amazing reconstructions in 3-d have been done. What I’ll be doing is to reconstruct one half of the rooms with plausible scenarios in each room just to be different.