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.

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