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Collections

Plaque of Ruler with Attendants600–900 CE

On view:
Geffen Galleries
Carved stone or jade plaque with irregular trapezoidal outline, covered in low-relief mask-like faces, spiral scrolls, and circular motifs in gray-green and ochre tones
Carved stone plaque, roughly rectangular with irregular broken edges, covered in low-relief scrolling and curvilinear motifs arranged in horizontal registers across the tan and reddish-brown surface.
Title
Plaque of Ruler with Attendants
Culture
Maya
Place Made
Guatemala, Pacific Coast
Date Made
600–900 CE
Medium
Jadeite
Dimensions
Height: 6 in. (15.24 cm)
Credit Line
The Phil Berg Collection
Accession Number
M.71.73.321
Classification
Stone
Collecting Area
Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes

The low-relief carving on this greenstone plaque depicts a standing male figure, reminiscent of the way Classic Maya rulers appear on stelae (i.e., standing stone monuments). He faces forward with hands held in front of his chest. His headdress takes the form of a zoomorphic beast whose snout and eyes are visible above the principal figure’s head. Two personages of small stature, perhaps dwarfs, flank the central figure on his right and left. Little is known about the role these kinds of plaques played in Maya society, but their status as prestige objects can be inferred from their widespread trade throughout Mesoamerica and their appearance in ceremonial deposits.

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.