The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Thumb Rest of a Spear Thrower

Thumb Rest of a Spear Thrower

600–1000
Bone
Overall: 7.1 x 2.1 cm (2 13/16 x 13/16 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2017.58
Location: 232 Andean

Did You Know?

Spear throwers, also called atlatls, use leverage to propel a spear faster and farther.

Description

This object was lashed to a spear thrower, where it served as a thumb rest or grip. The imagery is suited to the use: a supernatural being throttles a human, turning its head to expose its throat to a knife the being holds in one hand. Thus, the scene captures the crucial moment of an offering likely intended to assure the benevolence of divine forces.
  • Early 1950s-1994
    Margrith Brenner of Zurich, Switzerland, sold to a Private Collector
    1994-2017
    Private Collector, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2017-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Bergh, Susan E. “Acquisition Highlights: Pre-Columbian Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 58, no. 2 (March/April 2018): 8-9. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 8.
  • {{cite web|title=Thumb Rest of a Spear Thrower|url=false|author=|year=600–1000|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.58