Figure of a Standing Man

1000–1250

Volcanic rock

29.5 cm (11 5/8 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Olsen

1959.55.11

This is a typical figure from the Atlantic Watershed. It has a stylized horizontal face with semicircular ears, a deep brow, a broad nose, and parallel lips. The horseshoe-shaped object the figure holds is quite rare. The figure may be a sacrificial victim, his eyes closed in death.

Geography:

Costa Rica

Status:

By appointment, Wurtele Study Center

Culture:

Costa Rica, Atlantic Watershed, Guapiles

Classification:

Sculpture

Provenance:

Fred H. Olsen (1891–1986), and Florence Quittenton Olsen, Guilford, Conn.; gift in 1959 to Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.

Bibliography:

Handbook of the Collections, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1992), 321, ill.

George A. Kubler, ed., Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico and Central America (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1986), 194, 367, no. 427, fig. 252.

Yale University Art Gallery, Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin, 26, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1960), 44.

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.