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Source Description
The head illustrates the typical Olmec-style fleshy face with facial features clustered together. The eyes are markedly slanted and slightly crossed, with pupils indicated by a sharp punctate in the clay. The well-defined horizontal ridge across the forehead may depict intentional binding of the cranium to achieve a specific head form for reasons of beauty or ideology, a practice found throughout ancient Mesoamerica. Although this figure's body is missing, the head's upraised position recalls that of the hollow, infantile sculptures.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
80340
label
Head from a Figure
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
5
Source metadata
id
80340
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Head from a Figure
description
The head illustrates the typical Olmec-style fleshy face with facial features clustered together. The eyes are markedly slanted and slightly crossed, with pupils indicated by a sharp punctate in the clay. The well-defined horizontal ridge across the forehead may depict intentional binding of the cranium to achieve a specific head form for reasons of beauty or ideology, a practice found throughout ancient Mesoamerica. Although this figure's body is missing, the head's upraised position recalls that of the hollow, infantile sculptures.
provenance
Purchased by John G. Bourne, Santa Fe, New Mexico, between 1940 and 1949 [1]; given to Walters Art Museum, 2013.[1] from a shop in Santa Barbara, California
date
1200-900 BC (Early Formative)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Sculpture
heads
figures
imageCount
5
pageCount
5
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
12.1
height
8.9
depth
8.9
dimensionsRaw
H: 4 3/4 x W: 3 1/2 x D: 3 1/2 in. (12.07 x 8.89 x 8.89 cm); With mount H: 8 x W: 3 11/16 x D: 3 5/8 in. (20.32 x 9.4 x 9.14 cm)
Source extras
cul
Olmec
med
earthenware
creator_ids
8579
collection_ids
AME
exhibition_ids
2988
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
56f8cfc5bb204b6b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
dcfcfa22bda943e7
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
89b9a9780b70f9ef
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
1fe9949da230598a
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
93d0b4a266cb9d50
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no