On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Decapitated head in the form of a turtle carapace,
600–400 BCE
Maya
Middle Formative Period (Las Charcas phase)
2016-1288
This ceramic pendant alludes to agricultural cycles. The human face is that of the maize god; the scrolls flowing from his neck indicate his decapitation. The raised ridges at the top of the head and the incised pattern on the back of the object depict a turtle shell. In Maya mythology, harvesting maize was envisioned as decapitating the plant. The “dead” seed was later planted in the earth, which was likened to a turtle’s shell. When the rain god Chahk struck the earth-turtle with his lightning axe, it cracked open, allowing the maize to emerge renewed.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Decapitated head in the form of a turtle carapace
Dates
600–400 BCE
Medium
Ceramic with white slip and traces of red pigment
Dimensions
h. 9.0 cm., w. 6.0 cm., d. 4.3 cm. (3 9/16 x 2 3/8 x 1 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Gillett G. Griffin
Object Number
2016-1288
Place Made
North America, Guatemala, Maya area
Culture
Period
Subject
By 2000, Gillett G. Griffin (1928-2016), Princeton, NJ [1]; 2016, bequeathed to the Princeton University Art Museum.
Notes:
[1] Griffin lent the work to the Museum in 2000 (L.2000.87).
- Bryan R. Just. "Mysteries of the Maize God", Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 68 (2009): 2–15., fig. 2, p. 3 (illus., with wrong accession number)
-
Reiko Ishihara-Brito and Karl A. Taube, “Plaque Pendants,” in Ancient Maya Art at Dumbarton Oaks, edited by Joanne Pillsbury, Miriam Doutriaux, Reiko Ishihara-Brito, and Alexandre Tokovinine (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 2012)
, pp. 245–247, fig. 144 (illus.)
