The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 22, 2019

Ballgame Palma

c. 900-1100

Mexico, Gulf Coast, Classic Veracruz style

(600-1100)

Stone

Overall: 49.2 x 23.5 x 11.4 cm (19 3/8 x 9 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1973.3

Location

233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region

Description

Stone palmas—so-called today for their palm frond-like shape—are ceremonial sculptures that may replicate lightweight gear worn over the chest during the ballgame. The scene on the back of this palma vividly illustrates the tie between the ballgame and sacrifice. A bat descends from the top, clutching severed human body parts, and at the center an upright figure brandishes a blade over a reclining victim. The scene's many animal figures, including the one on the front, may belong to ballgame mythology that now is lost.

Provenance
Paul Tishman, NY
Paul Tishman, NY
Citations
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 394 archive.org
Exhibition history

Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; 1974. " Year in Review 1973." cat., The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. LXI (February, 1974.) p. 73 no. 28, repr. p. 80.

Brussels, Belgium: Musess Royaux d' Art et d' Histoire; September 15- December 27, 1992. " Tresors Du Nouveau Monde."

Charlotte, NC: Mint Museum of Art; September 22, 2001- January 6, 2002. New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Museum of Art. Newark, NJ: The Newark Museum. " The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame."

Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art (January 30-March 17, 1974).

The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame. Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC (September 24-December 30, 2001); New Orleans Museum of Art (February 16-April 28, 2002); Newark Museum (October 1-December 29, 2002).

Source URL: https://cmaweb23-bbn-2.clevelandart.org/art/1973.3