The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Warrior Figurine with Removable Headdress (headdress)

600–900

Mexico, Yucatán, Jaina Island region, Campeche, Maya style

(250-900)
earthenware with pigment
Overall: 26.1 cm (10 1/4 in.)
James Albert and Mary Gardiner Ford Memorial Fund 1963.93.b
Location: 233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region

Description

The major offerings placed in the Maya graves of Jaina Island were ceramic figurines, some of Mesoamerica's finest, that depict deities and humans in a variety of roles. This removable headdress belongs to a warrior figure who once probably held weapons and wears either quilted cotton armor or the feathered uniform of a military order. We don't know why such figures are often pot-bellied.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 293 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 294 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 397 archive.org
  • Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; 1986. Fort Worth, TX: The Kimball Art Museum; 1986. "The Blood of Kings: A New Interpretation of Maya Art." cat. no. 79, entry pg. 223, color photo pg. 230.
  • {{cite web|title=Warrior Figurine with Removable Headdress (headdress)|url=false|author=|year=600–900|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1963.93.b