Yoke
- Culture
- Classic Veracruz
- Period
- Late Classic period, 600–909
- Date
- c.600–909
- Material
- Stone
- made in
- Mexico, North and Central America
- Classification
- Sculpture, stone & mineral
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 114
- Dimensions
- 4 15/16 x 15 13/16 x 3 1/8 in. (12.5 x 40.2 x 8 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 331:1978
NOTES
With its three zones of carved decoration—one at the center and one at either end—this yoke is a typical example of the Classic Veracruz style. In the central image, a face emerges from the mouth of a serpent or toad. On the ends, the faces are more articulated. The interior surface of the yoke is rough and unpolished to provide a better grip for an individual wearing it around the waist. Although they can be worn, stone yokes probably served as ceremonial items rather than part of the ballgame uniform.
Provenance
- 1966
Stendahl Galleries, Hollywood, CA, USA
1966 - 1978
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Stendahl Galleries [1]
1978 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] An invoice dated January 3, 1966 from Stendahl Galleries to Morton D. May documents this purchase, listed as "Yoke & Palma Stones [332:1978] from Central Vera Cruz, Classic period circa 500 to 800 A.D." [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated September 19, 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.
Stendahl Galleries, Hollywood, CA, USA
1966 - 1978
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Stendahl Galleries [1]
1978 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] An invoice dated January 3, 1966 from Stendahl Galleries to Morton D. May documents this purchase, listed as "Yoke & Palma Stones [332:1978] from Central Vera Cruz, Classic period circa 500 to 800 A.D." [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated September 19, 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.