The Collection

Pre-Columbian art – including objects of the Mayas and Incas – was among the early passions of Irene and Peter Ludwig. The collectors from the city of Aachen included the cultures of pre-Columbian America into their concept of world culture as a matter of course. Their passion was extremely fortunate for the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum as it received the pre-Columbian collection of the Ludwigs, which they had acquired in the international art-trade, as an (initially) permanent loan in the early 1960s. In 1983 this loan was donated to the City of Cologne, and in 2003, at the request of the late Irene Ludwig, it was permanently integrated into the collection of the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum.

The Ludwigs collected about 200 objects from the diversity of preserved material evidence of the pre-Colombian cultures. These artefacts are mainly made from stone, clay and gold and are now presented to the public for the first time since 1985.

Mesoamerica

A third of the objects of the Ludwig Collection are from Mesoamerica – a cultural area extending from north Mexico to El Salvador. At the latest from 1800 BC, this region was home to various cultures. They all shared certain common features: growing maize as a staple food, playing the ball game, valuing jade and using a written calendar.

The majority of the Ludwig Collection objects date from Mesoamerica's Classic Period (250–900). They offer an insight into the sphere of influence of post-Olmec Gulf Coast cultures and into the Maya culture in southern Mexico and Guatemala. Central Mexico and the regions of Puebla and Oaxaca are represented by some exhibits of Teotihuacán, Aztec and Mixtec provenance.

The inner ring of the exhibition is devoted to Mesoamerican cultures. The theme of the ball game, for instance, widespread in all these cultures, is presented by reference to heavy ceremonial objects in stone and a video sequence of modern-day ball players. The multi-facetted Maya culture, whose rulers regarded themselves as mediators of the gods, contributes the largest group of objects with roughly 20 exhibits.

Crocodile head sculpture (water spout)

Unknown provenance, reportedly San Lorenzo, Veracruz, Mexico; Olmec, early Pre-Classic, 1200–900 BC; Basalt; length 69 cm; Photo: Wolfgang F. Meier, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

Hacha (axe-shaped ballgame-equipment)

Unknown provenance, probably Veracruz, Mexico;
Gulf Coast culture, late Classic, 600–950
Dolerite, height 16 cm
Photo: Wolfgang F. Meier, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

Incense burner stand

Unknown provenance, reportedly Palenque region, Chiapas, Mexico; Maya, Late Classic, late 7th century
Clay, traces of colour; height 77 cm
Photo: Wolfgang F. Meier, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

Cihuateotl figurine

Unknown provenance, reportedly Veracruz, Mexico; Gulf Coast culture, late Classic, 700–900
Clay, traces of colour; height 91 cm
Photo: Wolfgang F. Meier, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

Façade sculpture

Unknown provenance, reportedly east of the Templo Mayor district, Mexico City, Mexico;
Aztec, around 1507; Andesite, traces of colour;
Photo: Wolfgang F. Meier, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

South America

Around two-thirds of the Ludwig Collection objects are from the area of present-day Peru. From around 3500 BC, agriculture and livestock farming in the Andes highlands as well as intensive exploitation of marine resources on the coast forged the economic basis for later constructing monumental cult centres.

The so-called Early and Late Intermediate Periods mark temporary phases when different localised regional styles emerged. The collection primarily includes examples of the Nasca, Recuay, Vicús and Moche in the Early Intermediate period (200 BC / 100AD–AD 650/800) and Sicán, Chimú and Ica-Chincha in the Late Intermediate period (1000–1476).

The outer “South American” tour of the exhibition shows a rich palette of the most colourful aspects of ancient Peruvian art: naturalistic ritual ceramic vessels with erotic scenes and numerous gold artefacts, ranging from minuscule, filigree faces to wafer-thin gold feathers, over 30 cm (c. 12 inches) in length, which once embellished the crowns of high-ranking persons with “divine splendour”.

Crown of a ruler or high-ranking government official

Unknown provenance, Peru; Late Intermediate, Chimú style, 1000–1470; Gold-silver-copper alloy; height 18,4 cm
Photo: Wolfgang F. Meier, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

Vessel with erotic scene

Probably upper Santa valley, Peru; Early Intermediate, Recuay style, 300–600; Kaolin; height 21 cm
Photo: Wolfgang F. Meier, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

       Nose ornament with feline bodies and unknown mythical creature

Vicús, Peru; Early Intermediate, Vicús style, 200 BC–400 AD Gold-silver-copper alloy; width 11,9 cm
Photo: Marion Mennicken, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

Beaker with night-sky deity

Lambayeque region, presumably Huaca El Corte, Batán Grande, Peru; Late Intermediate, middle Sicán style, 900–1100 Gold; height 21 cm
Photo: Marion Mennicken, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

Funerary shroud

Unknown provenance, probably Central Coast, Peru; Late Intermediate, Chancay style, 1000–1440 Cotton, camelid hair; Plain weave, supplementary brocading wefts, Height 126 cm
Photo: Wolfgang F. Meier, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv / Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum

Tours

Thursdays, 6 p.m. (Except for: 18.10.12 / 22.11.12 / 20.12.12 / 24.01.13 / 14.02.13)
and Sundays, 3 p.m. / Admission special exhibition

Short Topical Tours (30 minutes)
Tuesdays, 12.30 AM / Admission special exhibition
09.10.12 „Beseelte“ Objekte aus Meso- und Südamerika“
06.11.12 „Altperuanische Erotika: Fruchtbarkeit, Heilung und Tod“
04.12.12 „Die Maya: Politik und Ritual an der Weltenachse“
08.01.13 „Altperuanisches Gold: Göttlicher Glanz und der Kreislauf des Lebens“
05.02.13 „Das mesoamerikanische Ballspiel um Leben und Tod“

Tour by curator
with Anne Slenczka on following Sundays, 3 p.m.:
18.11.12
16.12.12
13.01.13 (tour in Spanish)
17.02.13

» Book here a personal tour

Events

18.10.12 – 7 p.m.
„Altperuanische Erotika: Kommunikation zwischen Menschen und Göttern“
Vortrag von Dr. Christiane Clados, Berlin / Forum VHS, 6 €, concessions 4 €

03.11.12 – from 7 p.m.
„Lange Nacht der Museen“: Rund um den Cumbia-Tanz / 16 €

18.11.12 – 10 AM until 6 p.m.
Thementag Südamerika / Eintritt Museum

22.11.12 – 7 p.m.
„…und schon wieder Weltuntergang: Der Mayakalender und die Prophezeiungen
für 2012“
Vortrag von Dr. Lars Frühsorge, Universität Hamburg / Forum VHS, 6 €, concessions 4 €

13.12.12 – 8 p.m.
Duo Julio Mendívil y Davíd Sandoval. Konzert / Forum VHS, 12 €, concessions 8 €

17.01.12 – 7 p.m.
„Wie die Seele in die Dinge kommt: Die Rolle von Objekten im Ritual der Maya“
Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Nikolai Grube, Universität Bonn / Forum VHS, 6 €, concessions 4 €

21.02.13 – 7 p.m.
Spielfilm: „Und dann der Regen“. Film / Forum VHS, 6 €, concessions 4 €

Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum – Cultures of the World

Cäcilienstrasse 29-33
50667 Cologne, Germany
Tel.: 0221/ 221-31356
Fax: 0221/ 221-31333
E-Mail: rjm@stadt-koeln.de

Opening Hours
Tue - Sun 10 AM – 6 p.m., Thu 10 AM – 8 p.m.,
every first Thursday of the month opened until 10 p.m., closed on Mondays

Admission
Single ticket special exhibition 6 €, concessions 4 €
Combi-ticket special- and permanent exhibition 10 €, concessions 7 €

Transportation Connections:
Nearest stop: Neumarkt
KVB lines 1, 3, 4, 9, 16, 18
Bus lines 136, 146
Parking: Parking deck in the building, entrence over Cäcilienstraße