Collections: Arts of the Americas: Mosaic Head Pendant

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Mosaic Head Pendant

• Culture: Maya
• Medium: Jadeite, spondylus shell, mother of pearl, obsidian, wood, unidentified resinous material, red pigment
• Place Made: Mexico
• Dates: 700-800 C.E.
• Period: Classic Period
• Dimensions: 4 3/4 x 3 3/8 x 2 1/2 in. (12.1 x 8.6 x 6.4 cm)
• Collections: Arts of the Americas
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor
• Accession Number: L73.20
• Credit Line: Collection of Robin B. Martin
• Image: Overall, L73.20_transp5630.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Maya. Mosaic Head Pendant, 700-800 C.E. Jadeite, spondylus shell, mother of pearl, obsidian, wood, unidentified resinous material, red pigment, 4 3/4 x 3 3/8 x 2 1/2 in. (12.1 x 8.6 x 6.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Collection of Robin B. Martin, L73.20 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, L73.20_transp5630.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: Mosaic pendant in the form of a human head wearing a headdress of an unidentified animal. The piece is fabricated over a wooden core which is hollow in the back. In the front, a resinous layer is inlaid with a mosaic of jade, spondylus shell, mother of pearl and obsidian. On areas not covered by mosaic decoration, the resin is thick and pigmented red-brown. Since jade portrait masks of rulers are usually mosaic, perhaps this pendant is a portrait of a Maya ruler. The right side of the mask has been restored. There is a perforation in the right ear for an earring which is now missing. Holes are pierced through the sides of the mask on the reverse so it may be strung on a necklace.