Mesoamerica, Maya, probably Jaina Island, Late Classical period, 7th-9th century / 600–800
Seated Lord with Removable Headdress
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Seated Lord with Removable Headdress as ceramic (Mesoamerica, Maya, probably Jaina Island, Late Classical period, 7th-9th century · 600–800).
It is estimated that some 20,000 people were buried on the tiny island of Jaina over a 500-year period.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as ceramic and slip.
The museum's collection notes: The major Maya grave offerings on Jaina Island were ceramic figurines that depict deities and humans in a variety of roles. The standing figure represents a warrior who once probably held weapons and wears either quilted cotton armor or the feathered uniform of a military order. The seated figure also represents a male, perhaps another warrior, who wears a huge zoomorphic headdress. A skeletal face with articulated jaw descends from the headdress to fit as a mask over the figure’s face.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSeated Lord with Removable HeaddressOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.