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Collections

Pendant with Serpent Headress300–900 CE

Not on view
Carved jade or stone plaque with a symmetrical face in relief, surrounded by scrolling volutes and spiral motifs, in mottled blue-green tones
Title
Pendant with Serpent Headress
Culture
Maya
Place Made
Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, or Belize
Date Made
300–900 CE
Medium
Greenstone
Dimensions
1 x 3/5 x 1/5 in. (2.54 x 1.524 x 0.508 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number
M.2010.115.323
Classification
Stone
Collecting Area
Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes

This greenstone plaque bears a common motif, known affectionately as the “drooping head,” carved in relief on one of its sides. It depicts a human face, rendered in simplistic detail and demarcated with large circular earflares. The flowing scrolls of the headdress are sometimes interpreted as the vegetal adornments of the young maize deity. Numerous examples of this style of jade plaque have been recovered from the Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza, suggesting their value as offerings. A perforation drilled through the plaque horizontally may have been used to hang it as a pendant.

Alyce de Carteret

2024