Face Fragment
Unknown Artist
600–1000
Medium
molded pottery
Dimensions
15.5 × 13 × 9 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener
Accession Number
1990.179
About this artwork
This thick, heavy ceramic face fragment may come from an incensario (incense burner). Several features, including the tau- or T-shaped front teeth, suggest it represents a deity known today only as G1 due to difficulties in translating its Maya name, which is recorded in hieroglyphs. The deity’s meanings are equally elusive, though it seems to be associated with both the sun and water.