Pendant of Ruler Conjuring Ancestor300–600 CE

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Title: Pendant of Ruler Conjuring Ancestor
Culture: Maya
Place Made: Mexico, Honduras, or Guatemala
Date Made: 300–600 CE
Medium: Jadeite with pigment
Dimensions: 3 9/10 x 2 1/2 x 1 3/10 in. (9.906 x 6.35 x 3.302 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2010.115.870
Classification: Stone
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: A lapidary artist carved this greenstone pendant from a river pebble, adapting the desired design to the natural shape of the raw material. The imagery, which fills the surface of one side, depicts a standing figure who brings his hands together back-to-back in front of his chest. In Classic Maya art, rulers often assume this pose in ceremonial rites for the conjuring of deities and ancestors. This appears to be one such scene. A serpent’s body emerges from the figure’s hands and curves around the left side of his head. Its jaws open wide to reveal the face of an ancestor, shown in profile. A hole drilled vertically through the center of the object suggests its use as a pendant.

Alyce de Carteret

2024
Selected Bibliography: O'Neil, Megan E. Forces of Nature: Ancient Maya Arts from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Beijing Shi: Wen wu chu ban she, 2018.

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Title: Pendant of Ruler Conjuring Ancestor
Culture: Maya
Place Made: Mexico, Honduras, or Guatemala
Date Made: 300–600 CE
Medium: Jadeite with pigment
Dimensions: 3 9/10 x 2 1/2 x 1 3/10 in. (9.906 x 6.35 x 3.302 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2010.115.870
Classification: Stone
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: A lapidary artist carved this greenstone pendant from a river pebble, adapting the desired design to the natural shape of the raw material. The imagery, which fills the surface of one side, depicts a standing figure who brings his hands together back-to-back in front of his chest. In Classic Maya art, rulers often assume this pose in ceremonial rites for the conjuring of deities and ancestors. This appears to be one such scene. A serpent’s body emerges from the figure’s hands and curves around the left side of his head. Its jaws open wide to reveal the face of an ancestor, shown in profile. A hole drilled vertically through the center of the object suggests its use as a pendant.

Alyce de Carteret

2024
Selected Bibliography: O'Neil, Megan E. Forces of Nature: Ancient Maya Arts from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Beijing Shi: Wen wu chu ban she, 2018.