COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1973.213
AMICA Library Year:
2000
Object Type:
Sculpture
Creator Nationality:
North American; Central American; Mexican
Creator Name-CRT:
Mexico, Classic Veracruz Style
Title:
Ballgame Yoke
Title Type:
Primary
View:
Full View
Creation Date:
c. 600-900
Creation Start Date:
600
Creation End Date:
900
Materials and Techniques:
serpentine with traces of cinnabar
Style or Period:
Mexico, Classic Veracruz Style
Dimensions:
Overall: 42.5cm x 39.4cm x 10.5cm
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number:
1973.213
Credit Line:
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
Provenance:
Paul Tishman, NY
Context:
Played in specially constructed rectangular courts, the Mesoamerican ballgame involved striking a large , solid rubber ball with the hips or other body parts, but not the hands. Players are depicted wearing yokelike protective gear around the waist, but stone yokes like this one appear too heavy for this purpose. They may instead have served as cult objects.This yoke is carved as a stylized bat---its face in the center, its body and legs along the sides. The bat is a symbol of both darkness and death, as are the serpents and skulls also carved on the yoke.
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.1973.213.tif
