Platter With Seated Nobleman Summary

This piece is entitled, “Platter with Seated Nobleman, ca. A.D. 600, Plato Con Hombre Noble Sentado”. It is of Mayan Culture and found in Northern Peten, Guatemala. It is polychromed earthenware. The description on this piece entails, “This exquisite platter shows an important person seated on a small jaguar-skin pillow. That he is a deity of the underworld is shown by the cigar he smokes, his black body paint, and the spot on his cheek. Note the glyphs on the periphery of the platter.” Based on this information provided, we understand that this piece was made from clay and fired to form a ceramic platter. It is hard to say if it was glaze fired or just painted with polychrome pigments. The description claims it to be a ceramic platter that could have been used to serve food. The …show more content…
The platter depicts that of a very important man on top of a Jaguar-skin pillow. It is said to be a deity of the underworld based on his black body paint, cigar smoking, and the spot on his cheek. The man is circled by multiple glyphs representing different heads and creatures. This object is of Mayan culture and is from circa 600. This platter was used during the early pre-classic period of Mayan civilization. Swasey ceramics had become popular during this time for the creation of functional objects for the abundance of food being produced by egalitarian agriculture and trade. Mayans were politically complex by this time and socially adept. Social differentiation and competition were interwoven within feasting and related rituals. Mayan political life revolved around city-states. Mayan society transformed into a hierarchy, and the city-states of Mayan civilization were ruled by an aristocratic ruling class with a king at the top. Each city had its own king and ruling class, and the king was often considered a descendant of a god that would soon rejoin its godly