Stucco Portrait of Maya Noble

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The commanding presence of a Late Classic Maya Noble is powerfully conveyed in this stucco portrait, originally part of a majestic temple or palace architectural sculpture. Carefully modeled in stone, it was likely removed from a bust within a "portrait gallery" such as that found at Palace House in Palenque. In some instances, the Maya would detach such portrait heads from their "frames," then bury them with the deceased, a practice deeply connected to their God complex.