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Source Description
The meanings of hunchbacks is not well-studied in Panamanian art. But to the north, in Mexico and Guatemala, such physical anomalies marked individuals of great spiritual power. A few of this figure’s features suggest that hunchbacks held similar status in Panama: The figure sits upon a four-legged stool, a symbol of authority, and the mythic creatures painted on each side may connect the figure to the supernatural realm.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
160196
label
Hunchback Seated on a Stool
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
160196
contentType
object
title
Hunchback Seated on a Stool
description
The meanings of hunchbacks is not well-studied in Panamanian art. But to the north, in Mexico and Guatemala, such physical anomalies marked individuals of great spiritual power. A few of this figure’s features suggest that hunchbacks held similar status in Panama: The figure sits upon a four-legged stool, a symbol of authority, and the mythic creatures painted on each side may connect the figure to the supernatural realm.
date
c. 600–800
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60757412
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 25 x 19 x 25.1 cm (9 13/16 x 7 1/2 x 9 7/8 in.)
cul
Central Panama, Conte Style, c. 600-800
accession
1998.115
Source extras
tec
earthenware with colored slips
tombstone
Hunchback Seated on a Stool, c. 600–800. Central Panama, Conte Style, c. 600-800. Earthenware with colored slips; overall: 25 x 19 x 25.1 cm (9 13/16 x 7 1/2 x 9 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1998.115
collection
AA - Intermediate Region
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, “Cleveland Acquires Major New Sculpture, Rare Chinese Prints, Contemporary Prints, Drawings & Photographs,” October 30, 1998, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
citation
Sims, Lowery Stokes. <em>The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content, and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 54, no. 14
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:19:34.522000
sourceId
160196
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Intermediate Region
med
earthenware with colored slips
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
26a9b9b147088a4d