Head from a Figure
- Culture
- Maya
- Period
- Late Classic period, 600–909
- Date
- c.600–909
- Material
- Stucco with pigment
- Classification
- Ceramics, sculpture
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 114
- Dimensions
- 15 3/16 x 9 1/16 x 8 7/16 in. (38.5 x 23 x 21.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 503:1978
NOTES
The spiral eyes and t-shaped front tooth suggest that this dynamic head depicts the face of the Sun God, K’inich Ajaw. The red color covering the sculpture may refer to the dawning sun; the tooth may refer to Ik, the winds that also came from the east. Above the face, two discs and a row of teeth define the face of Tlaloc, the central Mexican Storm God. Tlaloc was closely associated with warfare, particularly in the Maya region during the Late Classic period, reinforcing the Sun God’s aggressive demeanor. Maya sculptors, working in the pliable medium of stucco, created elaborate polychrome façades for building exteriors. Large figures and heads like this one were often a part of such programs; they helped define and proclaim the building’s function.
Provenance
- 1965
Eugenia Alvarez, Mexico City and Cuernavaca, Mexico
1965 - 1978
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Eugenia Alvarez through agent Everett Rassiga [1]
1978 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] Invoices dated September 28, 1965 and October 4, 1965 from Eugenia Alvarez to Morton D. May document the purchase of this object, listed as "Maya Stucco Head" [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.
Eugenia Alvarez, Mexico City and Cuernavaca, Mexico
1965 - 1978
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Eugenia Alvarez through agent Everett Rassiga [1]
1978 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] Invoices dated September 28, 1965 and October 4, 1965 from Eugenia Alvarez to Morton D. May document the purchase of this object, listed as "Maya Stucco Head" [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.