The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 17, 2024
Ballgame Stone Head (Hacha)
450–550 CE
Overall: 21.1 x 15.3 x 16.2 cm (8 5/16 x 6 x 6 3/8 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel D. Wise 1945.124
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
This head’s identity is unknown but the deep furrows on the face suggest age.Description
Little can be said about this head’s identity and meaning, although the deep, dramatic furrows that line the face suggest age and the crest that curves across the top of the head has been compared to that of a bird. Such heads were one element of the regalia used in an ancient ballgame associated with complex mythology and equally elaborate art production on Mexico’s Gulf Coast, in present-day Veracruz.- DehesaDehesa; (John Wise, Ltd.)
- The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 355 archive.orgWilliam Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, and Ralph T. Coe. The Imagination of Primitive Man: A Survey of the Arts of the Non-Literate Peoples of the World. Kansas City, Mo: The Museum, 1962. Mentioned: p. 148, cat. no. 240
- Julie Mehretu: Portals (FRONT International: Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 13, 2022).The Blood of Kings: A New Interpretation of Maya Art. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (organizer) (May 17-August 24, 1986); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 8-December 14, 1986).Before Cortes: Sculpture of Middle America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 30, 1970-January 3, 1971).New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; September 30, 1970 - January 3, 1971. "Before Cortes. Sculpture of Middle America." repr. in catalogue, in black and white, p. 178, no.147.Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art; January 18- February 25, 1962. "The Imagination of Primitive Man." cat. no. 240, p. 148.Art of the Americas. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9, 1945-January 6, 1946).Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; November 9, 1945- January 6, 1946. "Art of the Americas." repr. in catalogue, black and white, p. 19.
- {{cite web|title=Ballgame Stone Head (Hacha)|url=false|author=|year=450–550 CE|access-date=17 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1945.124