"Written by leading authorities and including thirteen personal accounts of the latest ground-breaking research, Courtly Arts of the Ancient Maya examines the royal courts and their art in unprecedented depth. Color photographs and specially commissioned drawings reveal a dazzling array of objects that still have the power to engage and astonish observers centuries after their creation."--Back cover.

"The artistic world inside the royal courts of the ancient Maya [is] explored in this exhibition, which present[s]156 objects associated with ancient Maya kings and queens. The works, which include[s] stone sculptures, ceramics, and masks, [have been] gathered from some 30 public and private collections in Central and South America and Europe. The installation [has been] organized in 6 sections: Life at the Maya Court; The Divine Model of Courtly Life; Women at Court; Word and Image in the Maya Court; The Court at War; and Palenque: An Exemplary Maya Court. A full-size reproduction of wall murals from Bonampak showing a king and court presiding over mutilated captives [is] included in the section The Court at War. The exhibition coincide[s] with The Cubist Paintings of Diego Rivera: Memory, Politics, Place and [is] part of ¡Viva Mexico! Washington, DC Celebrates, a citywide celebration of Mexican art and culture."--National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC website.