The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Jade crown ornament representing the head of a deity in profile with a smooth back of the head punctured by three holes. In the center of the ornament is a circular eye, surrounded by patterns of three dots. The front of the face is jagged with a cut-out resembling a mouth with an overbite, extending up to another cut-out in front of the eye with further jagged edges where the ornament has been broken.

Crown Ornament (Hu’unal)

250–900 CE

Mexico or Central America, Maya

jadeite-albitite
Overall: 7 x 0.6 x 7.4 cm (2 3/4 x 1/4 x 2 15/16 in.)
The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1993.7
Location: 233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region

Did You Know?

This plaque represents the head of a deity affiliated with Maya royalty.

Description

This plaque, which represents the head of a deity affiliated with Maya royalty, served as a ruler’s crown ornament (hu’unal). It was attached to the crown via the holes along the back edge in such a way that the identical carvings on both sides were visible. The ornament is now broken along the upper edge.
  • “1993 Annual Report.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 81, no. 6 (July 1994): 143–218. Mentioned: p. 163 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Crown Ornament (Hu’unal)|url=false|author=|year=250–900 CE|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1993.7