Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Vera Cruz culture, ca. 6th to 8th century CE. An amazing pottery figure of a standing elite person. Hands and legs extended, wearing a poncho with triangular decorations and tassels hanging from its edges and a long, undecorated skirt, the figure is strikingly life-like and naturalistic. Detailed hands with fingernails and a life-like face with painted details contribute to this realism. The figure wears a multi-strand necklace, large round earrings, and a huge headdress topped by feathers and with an attached bird that is probably a turkey with full plumage. Colorful blue pigment highlights the jewelry. The figure holds to small rectangular items, one in each hand, looking for all the world like a soccer official throwing out red cards. The sports analogy holds true - in Veracruz, we know that bird headdresses were associated with the ballgame - a central ceremony of Mesoamerican life, whose results had political, martial, and religious consequences. Size: 7.1" W x 10.2" H (18 cm x 25.9 cm)

Provenance: Ex-Young collection, New Hampshire

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