Panel with royal woman

Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
An elegant woman holds up K’awiil, the lightning god, who gestures toward her as if in conversation. Recognizable by his serpent foot and the smoky axe emerging from his forehead, K’awiil was often evoked by rulers celebrating important ritual events.


Likely once part of a palace interior at a center affiliated with Piedras Negras, this panel, as with others from the area, bears two signatures, carved in low relief on either side of the royal woman. Sculptor K’in Lakam Chahk also collaborated in the creation of Throne 1, on view nearby.

K’in Lakam Chahk y Jun Nat Omootz (maya, activos a finales del siglo VIII)
Panel con mujer de la realeza
Región del río Usumacinta, Guatemala o México
795 d. C.
Piedra caliza

Una elegante mujer sostiene a K’awiil, dios del rayo, cuyos gestos indican que está conversando con ella. K’awiil, identificado por su pie de serpiente y el hacha humeante en su frente, solía ser invocado por los gobernantes cuando celebraban ceremonias rituales importantes.

Es probable que este panel haya formado parte del interior de un palacio de un centro afiliado a Piedras Negras. Al igual que otros tableros de esta zona, tiene dos firmas grabadas en bajorrelieve a cada lado de la figura real. El escultor K’in Lakam Chahk también colaboró en la creación del Trono 1, el cual se muestra al lado de esta pieza.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Panel with royal woman
  • Artist: K'in Lakam Chahk
  • Artist: Jun Nat Omootz
  • Date: 795
  • Geography: Guatemala or Mexico, Usumacinta River region
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Limestone
  • Dimensions: H. 23 3/4 × W. 27 1/2 × D. 4 in. 80 lbs (60.4 × 69.8 × 10.2 cm, 36.3 kg)
  • Classification: Stone-Architectural
  • Credit Line: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1962.32
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing