Vessel in the Form of a Seated Male Figure
- Culture
- Zapotec
- Date
- c.250–600 CE
- Material
- Ceramic with pigment
- Classification
- Ceramics, containers
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 114
- Dimensions
- 17 1/2 x 13 1/4 x 11 in. (44.5 x 33.7 x 27.9 cm)
urn: 10 15/16 x 7 1/4 in. (27.8 x 18.4 cm) - Credit Line
- Gift of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 133:1980
NOTES
This figure exhibits characteristics which tie it to different Zapotec symbols. The serpentine mouth mask and volutes around the eyes are affiliated with Glyph Ñ. The protruding mask indicates the figure was a member of a priestly class. Its chest medallion represents a corn field, and the full, feathered headdress contains Glyph C as its central element, complete with maize iconography. Of special note are the two bird-like emblems flanking the central motif of the headdress. They are probably made from molds, and their iconography suggests they may have come from Teotihuacan. Such small details reveal the long-standing and varied inter-regional trade between the Zapotec in the Valley of Oaxaca and the ancient metropolis of central Mexico.
Provenance
- 1972
Valetta Malinowska, Mexico City, Mexico
1972 - 1980
Morton D. May (1914–1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Valetta Malinowska [1]
1980 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] An invoice dated February 5, 1972 from Valetta Malinowska to Morton D. May documents this purchase, listed as "3214 / Monte Alban III-A Urn / Medium gray clay, with white, yellow, zinabar and hamatite [sic] reds, and blue paint, also black. 17-½ inches. No restoration" [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated April 3, 1980 from Morton D. May to John Peters MacCarthy, president of the Saint Louis Art Museum Board of Commissioners, includes the offer of this object as part of a larger donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 6, 1980.
Valetta Malinowska, Mexico City, Mexico
1972 - 1980
Morton D. May (1914–1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Valetta Malinowska [1]
1980 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] An invoice dated February 5, 1972 from Valetta Malinowska to Morton D. May documents this purchase, listed as "3214 / Monte Alban III-A Urn / Medium gray clay, with white, yellow, zinabar and hamatite [sic] reds, and blue paint, also black. 17-½ inches. No restoration" [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated April 3, 1980 from Morton D. May to John Peters MacCarthy, president of the Saint Louis Art Museum Board of Commissioners, includes the offer of this object as part of a larger donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 6, 1980.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.