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Source Description
Although several examples of this type of figurine have come to light in recent years, little is known about their function or subject matter. As is typical of the known examples, this piece is made from pressing clay into molds, one each for the body, head, pectoral, and costuming details. The resulting parts are subsequently assembled. The dotted pattern on the figure's legs is reminiscent of other Mesoamerican renditions of flayed skin, which was occasionally worn in ritual events associated with fertility. Like a seed or an ear of maize, life exists within a dead husk when such a costume was worn, and it thus references the pan-American connection between life and re-birth. The oversized pectoral, consisting of multiple strands of thick rope, is a common feature to this type of figurine. It has been associated both with rulers and with warriors, yet its meaning remains poorly understood. It is incorporated into Late Classic Maya art at sites nearest to Veracruz, likely reflecting more intensive interaction between these two areas at this time.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
76591
label
Standing Figure with a Tied-Rope Pectoral
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
76591
sourceUrl
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Standing Figure with a Tied-Rope Pectoral
description
Although several examples of this type of figurine have come to light in recent years, little is known about their function or subject matter. As is typical of the known examples, this piece is made from pressing clay into molds, one each for the body, head, pectoral, and costuming details. The resulting parts are subsequently assembled. The dotted pattern on the figure's legs is reminiscent of other Mesoamerican renditions of flayed skin, which was occasionally worn in ritual events associated with fertility. Like a seed or an ear of maize, life exists within a dead husk when such a costume was worn, and it thus references the pan-American connection between life and re-birth. The oversized pectoral, consisting of multiple strands of thick rope, is a common feature to this type of figurine. It has been associated both with rulers and with warriors, yet its meaning remains poorly understood. It is incorporated into Late Classic Maya art at sites nearest to Veracruz, likely reflecting more intensive interaction between these two areas at this time.
provenance
David and Bonnie Ross collection, Indiana, by 1988; Thomas D. Slater, until June 2005; Austen-Stokes Ancient Americas Foundation [John Stokes as agent], June 16, 2005, by purchase [Arte Primitivo, New York, as agent]; Walters Art Museum, 2007, by gift.
date
600-900 (Late Classic)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
figures
sculpture
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensionsRaw
5 3/4 in. (14.61 cm)
style
Remojadas
Source extras
cul
Maya
med
buff clay
creator_ids
4619
collection_ids
AME
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
5fe1f1177f54fd90
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
586d1ecc348d022b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
814cb25231358d9a
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no