MUZEION Animal Sculptures

Nicoya Ceremonial Basalt Stone Seat in Shape of a Jaguar. Published in the Arizona Museum. This large and finely carved example of Costa Rican skill and craftsmanship is in the form of a jaguar which may have been a lineage or clan symbol - as also was the crocodile - according to 16th-century Spanish conquistadors. There are so many features that make this masterpiece so unique. The most realistic depiction is the face with its head captured in a pose that is threatening and fierce. Sculptors in ancient Central America developed elaborate metate forms that were associated with high status and wealth. They were commonly placed within graves of prominent individuals. Certain ancient rituals must have incorporated this activity and required special metates to be created for this purpose. It may have also served as a throne for the ruler, for whom the assurance of the fertility of his land and people would have been paramount. Even today, stone metates...

Bamileke throne made with wood, coated with jute, embroidered with polychrome glass beads, cowrie snails, embroidery with glass beads that are missing in some areas. In the Grassfiel...