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Clay figure

Standing, anthropo-zoomorphic miniature. The object has three conical legs attached to a hollow, barrel-shaped body. The sculpture has its left arm on its hip. With its right arm, the figure is holding a small jug, which it is carrying on its shoulder. Her head is covered by a round cap. There are small, round openings in place of the ears and on the back. The object has incised and applied attributes. The ceramic was smoothed, slurried, primed and painted. The primer and paint are almost completely eroded. The restored sculpture has several fractures. Remnants of white paint are visible on the monochrome ceramic. The posture indicates an anthropomorphic being. The face has zoomorphic attributes (mouth), which seem to indicate a lizard-like character of the figure. Social significance: similar objects have been interpreted as ritual objects (Bransford 1881), as toys, as pendants or as vessel pipes (Lehmann 1913). According to Lehmann 1913: El Viejo style. Lothrop (1926) discusses the pottery under the groups orange-brown ware figurines and red ware figurines. Cultural significance: the group is only known from the south of the Gran Nicoya region. Their objects were mainly documented in burials. (Künne 2004)

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum
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Cataloguing data

Object type
Clay figure
Dimensions
Objektmaß: 11,1 x 9,4 x 8 cm
Material/Technique
Sound
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
IV Ca 48545

Provenance and sources

when
300 B.C. - 500 A.D.
where
Costa Rica

who
Lehmann, Walter - Collectors

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