Holding a trophy head in his right hand and a stone ax in his left, this warrior wears a conical headdress or helmet and a curly-tailed animal pendant. The animal, duplicated four times, bears attributes of the capuchin monkey and the coatimundi, a member of the raccoon family.
Esta escultura representa un guerrero sosteniendo su trofeo (una cabeza) en su mano derecha y un hacha de piedra en la izquierda. Además, lleva puesto un tocado cónico o un casco y un colgante. El animal, reproducido cuatro veces, tiene atributos de los monos capuchino y coatimundi, una especie de la familia de los mapaches.
Further information A tradition of figure sculpture that glorified militarism and warriors is thought to have developed in Costa Rica out of an increased competition for resources among a growing population. Presented in a rigid posture atop a pedestal base, this helmeted warrior holds a trophy head in his right hand and a short ax in his left. Around his neck is suspended a large pendant that is similar in detail to known objects in gold. There is evidence that gold was considered a protective substance in Precolumbian Central America and that warriors wore their gold ornaments into battle.
[Stendahl Gallery, New York, until 1955]; Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York, 1955, on loan to The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1956–1978
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Artist: Chakalte' (Guatemalan or Mexican, active ca. A.D. 750–800) Date: late 8th centuryMedium: Limestone, paintAccession: 1979.206.1047On view in:Gallery 358