Teach with Collections: Maya Enthroned Lord

This figure's elongated forehead likely was once covered by a large headdress, which is now lost. This cranial form only slightly exaggerates the intentional shaping of the heads of noble infants for aesthetic reasons. The collar and flaps worn around the neck and shoulders may represent a form of armor‚—made of unspun cotton, a material well suited to deflecting hurled spears‚—suggesting that this king was also a warrior. On the throne's backrest appears an attendant dwarf in cut out and silhouetted low relief, surrounded by billowing swirls of smoke or vegetation. The seat of the throne is covered with a jaguar pelt, whose head and feet jut out at the sides.

Conversation prompts

Describe the appearance of the figure. Which attributes seem to be associated with the political power of this Maya king?

Does the throne include details that might signal the authority of the person who sits upon it? How? Would the throne convey similar meaning when the king was absent?