LACMA

ShopMembershipMyLACMATickets
LACMA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@lacma.org
(323) 857-6000
Sign up to receive emails
Subscribe
© Museum Associates 2026
  • About LACMA
  • Jobs
  • Building LACMA
  • Host An Event
  • Unframed
  • Press
  • FAQs
  • Log in to MyLACMA
  • Privacy Policy
© Museum Associates 2026
Collections

Plaque of Man in Beast's Maw600–900 CE

On view:
Geffen Galleries
Stone or ceramic plaque with celadon green surface, carved in relief with a stylized face surrounded by concentric spiral motifs and scroll patterns
Carved stone plaque with a frontal face at center, surrounded by raised spiral and circular motifs in relief; reddish-brown stone with patches of green mineral encrustation, repaired crack visible at right.

Unknown, Plaque, 900–1420 CE, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Phil Berg Collection, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Title
Plaque of Man in Beast's Maw
Culture
Maya
Place Made
Mexico or Guatemala
Date Made
600–900 CE
Medium
Jadeite
Dimensions
Height: 3 1/8 in. (7.94 cm)
Credit Line
The Phil Berg Collection
Accession Number
M.71.73.323
Classification
Stone
Collecting Area
Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes

This greenstone plaque features a low-relief carving on one side, typical of Classic Maya plaques. A human face is visible in the center, wearing large earspools composed of three concentric circles. The face appears to be in the maw of a large beast: its large round eyes and curving snout are visible above the central figure, and its jaw appears below.

Alyce de Carteret

2024

Selected Bibliography
  • Berg, Phil. Man Came This Way: Objects from the Phil Berg Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1971.