COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1998.115
AMICA Library Year:
2000
Object Type:
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Creator Name:
Unknown
Creator Nationality:
North American; Central American; Panamanian
Creator Name-CRT:
Central Panama, Conte Style
Title:
Hunchback Seated on a Stool
Title Type:
Primary
View:
Full View
Creation Date:
c. 600-800
Creation Start Date:
600
Creation End Date:
800
Materials and Techniques:
earthenware with colored slips
Classification Term:
Ceramic
Classification Term:
Ceramic
Style or Period:
Central Panama, Conte Style
Dimensions:
Overall: 24.8cm x 15.8cm x 23.4cm
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number:
1998.115
Credit Line:
John L. Severance Fund
Context:
This vessel depicts a hunchbacked male figure seated on an important symbol of authority: the four-legged stool. Ornamenting the round, inflated forms of the body are swirling black, purple, and orange patterns that may represent body painting. Painting also outlines the figure's arms and fingers, positioned across the torso. Painted on each side of the body is a composite creature that resembles a snarling feline with deer antlers. The significance of this mythological beast is unknown, but the combining of traits from several different species is common in the art of Central America, and probably indicates supernatural abilities. The seated figure's hunch reinforces a message of mystical power. In Mesoamerican cultures to the north, hunchbacks (who were also often dwarfs) were regarded as spiritually potent.
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.1998.115.tif
Link To Source
Hunchback Seated on a Stool
