The god of the harvest, standing in his own doorway.

The Diamond-Cut Aztec Corn (Maize Cob Lord) with Arch Frame Pendant is shaped as an arch rather than a rectangle — rounded at the top, straight down the sides, flat at the foot — so the piece reads as a niche with the figure standing inside it.

The frame is wide and worked all the way round in satin, carved with a stepped fret — the greca banding that runs across Mesoamerican stonework — with scroll volutes turning at the shoulders and a row of block glyph panels closing the base.

Behind the figure, the ground is cut into a full diamond-cut ray burst fanning from the crown of the headdress out to the frame on every side. Those rays are the only brightwork on the piece, and against the satin frame and figure they read almost white.

The maize god stands at the centre in relief, face in profile. His headdress rises in tall plumes with ears of corn worked into the crown, a banded diadem crosses the brow, and large circular ear spools with spiral drops hang at the cheek. A beaded collar sits at the throat, both arms come forward holding staffs, and a panelled loincloth with fringed ends falls to the knee above banded leg cuffs. He stands on a carved platform at the foot of the arch.

Maize was not a crop to the Mexica so much as the substance people were made from. The maize god — Centeotl, from centli, the dried cob — governed the harvest that everything else depended on, and got the festivals to match.

Why You’ll Love It:

• Arch Format – A niche shape rather than a plate, with the figure standing inside it
• Full Diamond-Cut Burst – Rays fanning from the headdress to the frame on all sides
• Carved Greca Frame – Stepped Mesoamerican fretwork with corner volutes and glyph panels at the foot
• Detailed Regalia – Plumed maize headdress, ear spools, beaded collar and a fringed panelled loincloth
• Satin Against Bright – Figure and frame left matte so they hold against the cut ground
• Solid Gold Throughout – No stones and no plating

Made to order, turnaround time is typically 2-4 weeks.

Specifications

Estimated Weight by Purity