Plaque Showing a Seated King and Palace Attendant

600–800 CE
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Classic period (A.D. 200–900) Maya objects were prized by cultures in central Mexico. This finely carved jade plaque exemplifies Maya aesthetic preferences, from its apple-green color to the precisely rendered bodies of the enthroned ruler and courtier of small stature. It was reportedly recovered in central Mexico at Teotihuacan’s Sun Pyramid in the early twentieth century.




Los objetos mayas de la época Clásica (200-900 a. C.) eran muy preciados por las culturas del centro de México. Con su color verde manzana y la precisión de las imágenes de los cuerpos del personaje consagrado y del cortesano de baja estatura, esta placa de jade finamente tallada es un ejemplo de las preferencias estéticas mayas. Los reportes indican que fue hallada en la Pirámide del Sol de Teotihuacán a principios del Siglo XX.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Plaque Showing a Seated King and Palace Attendant
  • Date: 600–800 CE
  • Geography: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, or Honduras; Mexico
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Jadeite
  • Dimensions: H. 5 1/2 × W. 5 1/2 in. (14 × 14 cm)
  • Classification: Stone-Reliefs
  • Credit Line: British Museum, London (AM1938, 1021.25)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing