Standing Female Figure
- Culture
- Huastec
- Date
- c.1200–1400
- Material
- Sandstone
- Classification
- Sculpture, stone & mineral
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 114
- Dimensions
- 62 5/8 x 20 11/16 x 7 7/8 in. (159 x 52.5 x 20 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 270:1978
NOTES
In its reduced and simple rendition of the human form, this monumental female sculpture exemplifies the Huastec style of the Late Postclassic period. The wide-brimmed, circular headdress with its conical center suggests a representation of Tlazoteotl, a powerful female deity. Tlazoteotl had many associations, including fertility and childbirth.
Provenance
- 1964
Carlebach Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA
1964 - 1978
Morton D. May (1914–1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Carlebach Gallery, Inc. [1]
1978 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] A invoice dated March 4, 1964, from Carlebach Gallery Inc. documents this purchase, listed as "27990 / 1 Large Stone Figure of Goddess, in unbroken condition, superb quality, Archaic Huastecan Culture, Mexico." [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated September 29, 1978 from Morton D. May to James N. Wood, director of the Saint Louis Art Museum, includes the offer of this object as part of a larger donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 13, 1978.
Carlebach Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA
1964 - 1978
Morton D. May (1914–1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Carlebach Gallery, Inc. [1]
1978 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] A invoice dated March 4, 1964, from Carlebach Gallery Inc. documents this purchase, listed as "27990 / 1 Large Stone Figure of Goddess, in unbroken condition, superb quality, Archaic Huastecan Culture, Mexico." [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated September 29, 1978 from Morton D. May to James N. Wood, director of the Saint Louis Art Museum, includes the offer of this object as part of a larger donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 13, 1978.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.