Plate with a Seated Nobleman
Artist:
Unknown
Place made:Petén department, Guatemala
General region:North and Central America
Culture: Maya
Period: Pre-Columbian
Date: ca. A.D. 600
Medium: Earthenware with paint
Dimensions:
height: 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
diameter: 15 3/4 in. (40 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Ramona Frates Seeligson
Object number: 98.12.10
Provenance: with Mrs. A. A. Seeligson, Sr. (Romana Frates Seeligson) (1898-1998), San Antonio, TX, before 1998; by gift of the estate of Mrs. A. A. Seeligson, Sr. to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1998
Label Text
This plate from Northern Petén, Guatemala dates to the Maya Late Classic Period, which lasted from 250 CE to 900 CE. The glyphs on this platter represent several deities and figures in Maya cosmology that are related to the Underworld. The sitter’s black body paint is also characteristic of deities associated with the Underworld. The jaguar stool featured on the plate likely indicates the sitter’s noble status, as jaguars represent nobility and rulership in Maya visual culture. (LA 2020)
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
