The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Ballgame Thin Stone Head (Hacha)
600–900
Overall: 20 x 6.8 x 14.3 cm (7 7/8 x 2 11/16 x 5 5/8 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The interlaced designs on this head’s forehead are similar to a Maya symbol for rulership.Description
This enigmatic head is associated with an ancient ballgame played both for sport and ceremonial purposes on Mexico’s Gulf Coast, in present-day Veracruz. It may represent an elite ballplayer or ballgame patron—the forehead is incised with interlaced designs similar to the so-called mat motif, a Maya symbol for rulership. Such heads are known as hachas (Spanish for “axe”) because they often taper to a thin edge at the front, giving them the appearance of axe heads.- The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 359 archive.org
- Julie Mehretu: Portals (FRONT International: Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 13, 2022).Pre-Columbian Art of the Gulf States. Lowe Art Museum, Miami, FL (organizer) (January 11-February 11, 1973).Coral Gables, FL: Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami; January 11 - February 11, 1973. "Pre- Columbian Art of the Gulf States." exh. cat. no. 22, repr. p. 13.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. 24.
- {{cite web|title=Ballgame Thin Stone Head (Hacha)|url=false|author=|year=600–900|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1945.33