The name of this item is missing in its original language. If you know the name or have any comments, please use the form to get in touch with the institution that provided the data.
Clay head (vessel fragment)

Hollow, anthropomorphic head protome with wall attachment. There is a small opening on the chin of the protome. The object has been smoothed, slurried, primed, painted and polished. The primer is heavily darkened and appears to have burn marks. There is a break on the chin. The fragment has a white-yellowish base colour, which was painted red-orange and black. The anthropomorphic protome has an unusual face. It is very realistically modelled and has an almost individual expression. The figure appears to be wearing head and ear jewellery. Its open mouth is outlined in red. Social significance: the unusual object design possibly refers to an imitation. Cultural significance: the tradition of polychrome painting on a white-yellowish ground seems to have appeared in the Gran Nicoya region between 1550 and 750d.C. The ceramics decorated in this way also served as supra-regional trade goods. (Künne 2004)

This content was machine-translated
Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum
Show only fields containing data

Cataloguing data

Object type
Clay head (vessel fragment)
Dimensions
Objektmaß: 7,7 x 6,3 x 6,1 cm
Material/Technique
Sound
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
IV Ca 45672

Provenance and sources

when
800 - 1520 (?)
where
Costa Rica
Guanacaste [Provinz]
Santa Cruz [Kanton]
Santa Bárbara [Ort]

who
Lehmann, Walter - Former Possessors

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
This content was machine-translated
2.1.1 / 7.1