Lot 78A
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Veracruz, ca. 400 to 700 CE. Expertly carved as a serpentine effigy creature with curvilinear eyes flanking the arched section that features incised delineations of the snout and mouth and spiraled scales on both extending sides, a ceremonial grey-green stone yoke representing the protective U-shaped guards worn by Mesoamerican ballplayers around their waists that displays tremendous artistry and technique. Yokes made of perishable materials such as quilted cotton and wood have been preserved only in visual depictions in paintings and sculptures, making stone yokes like this one, worn at opening and closing ceremonies, awarded as trophies, and placed in tombs, even more special and prized. Custom stand. Size: 8.625" L x 5.875" W (21.9 cm x 14.9 cm); 7.875" H (20 cm) on stand
The Pre-Columbian ballgame originated in the first millennium BCE, most likely in the Valley of Mexico, and was regarded as not merely an athletic activity but rather as a ceremonial means of controlling or predicting the future. The ancients of Mesoamerica played ballgames in a sacred ballcourt space. Some cultures expected players to dedicate themselves to practicing the game and preparing for matches; however, other cultures forced war captives to play the game and sacrificed the losing team. Another custom involved using the possessions of onlookers as prizes for the victorious team.
Ceremonial stone yokes have been found concentrated at all of the major sites of Mayan games, such as Chichen Itza, a major pre-Colombian site which includes a large rectangular ball court of lush green grass, surrounded by a stone amphitheater for spectators. The prevailing theory about the yokes' purpose is that they were worn as belts by the athletes and used as a part of the game, perhaps as a surface upon which the athletes bounced the ball. The athletes may have worn wooden yokes, and the stone examples were likely ceremonial yokes. This theory is based upon the discovery of stone effigy figurines of Mayan athletes that consistently depict the athletes dressed in full ceremonial gear - including these U-shaped yokes, which are always situated around the waists of the athletes. These sculpted figurines often depict the yokes with representations of leather or fabric around the body to show how the yokes are held in place around the athlete's waists.
Provenance: J. E. collection, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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#122461
- Condition: Old small losses (with patina) to right lower curved wave/cloud motif and lower terminus. A few tiny nicks to peripheries. Otherwise normal surface wear commensurate with age.
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