Goddess Plaque (c. 1200–1519): Art, History and Details

Goddess Plaque (c. 1200–1519) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This pendant portrays Chalchiutlicue (Jade Skirt), a young goddess of water. Identifying insignia are her headband and the large tassels to either side of her face. She wears a huipil (long blouse) and skirt, and is posed kneeling, with her hands placed modestly in her lap. The green jade of which the pendant is carved symbolizes Chalchiutlicue's preciousness.

Object facts

• Title: Goddess Plaque
• Date: c. 1200–1519
• Culture: Central Mexico, Aztec, 13th-16th century
• Type: Jade
• Technique: jadeite
• Dimensions: Overall: 7 x 3.5 cm (2 3/4 x 1 3/8 in.)
• Collection: AA - Mesoamerica
• Department: Art of the Americas
• Accession number: 1949.199

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• The Brummer Gallery Records. Cloisters (Museum), n.d.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.