Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal - King of Palenque

Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal - King (Ahau) of Palenque

I am happy to share with you my very first 3D sculpt using ZBrush, created as part of a learning process for a larger project currently in development.

The piece represents a jade sculpture inspired by a stone head discovered in the tomb of Pakal the Great, a Maya ruler who lived from 603 to 683 AD. For the Maya, jade was the rarest and most precious material—reserved for the elite and deeply sacred. It symbolized a bridge between the living and the spirit world, often used in funerary rituals to protect bodies and guide souls into the afterlife.

Through this project (and others to come), I aim to pay tribute to one of the most sophisticated civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas—renowned for its art, writing system, and monumental architecture.

Special thanks to Thierry Avelange and Nicolas (ICO) Vallée for their help on zbrush ! Check their wonderful work !