Stela Fragment

600–950

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

Figures appear on two sides of this fragmentary stela (upright stone slab carved in relief). One seems to represent a grimacing warrior who brandishes a club; arrow-like darts festoon his belt and hair. On the other side is a skeleton with one fleshed hand, perhaps a sacrificed captive. The eagle with a leaf in its mouth is a hieroglyph that may identify the captive's name.

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Details

Title: Stela Fragment
Date Created: 600–950
Physical Dimensions: Overall: 31.8 x 30.8 x 12.2 cm (12 1/2 x 12 1/8 x 4 13/16 in.)
Provenance: (Black Tulip Galleries, Inc., Dallas, TX, 1959, sold to James C. and Florence C. Gruener), James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art
Type: Sculpture
Rights: CC0
External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1959.334.a
Medium: limestone
Fun Fact: The skeletal being resembles a low-relief stucco death figure on the wall of Tomb 1 in Zaachila.
Department: Art of the Americas
Culture: Mexico, Veracruz?, 600-950 AD
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener
Collection: AA - Mesoamerica
Accession Number: 1959.334.a

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