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Art of the Ancient Americas
Artist: Unknown
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
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:
Yale University Art Gallery, Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin, 26, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1960), 44.
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.
Handbook of the Collections, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1992), 321, ill.
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.
