Mayan Head of a Priest Wearing a Jaguar Headdress, 300 CE - 600 CE
Terracotta
10.625
PF.0954
Further images
In the presence of this splendid head, representing a forgotten religious ritual, we are acutely aware of the passage of time. Like the great Mayan civilization itself, this head has...
In the presence of this splendid head, representing a forgotten religious ritual, we are acutely aware of the passage of time. Like the great Mayan civilization itself, this head has been reconstructed from fragments. Though it offers mere clues to its former granduer, its power is undenaible. An austere human head, mouth and eyes agape, peers out from the mask of the Jaguar God. The fearsome aspects of this deity are suggested by the sharp fang that remains in its mouth. Though we are aware of the layers of meaning here, a clay image of a man wearing the costume of a God, we are nonetheless caught up in the magic and mystery it evokes.
Literature
V11