Effigy Belt or Collar
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Click READ MORE for English
Varias esculturas en forma de óvalo que representan cinturones o collares de textil o cuero fueron recuperadas en Puerto Rico. Los artistas redondeaban las piedras, vaciaban el centro y luego lo pulían, a veces incorporando imágenes de cemíes. Tales esculturas probablemente fueron partes de ensamblajes que transmitían el poder político durante de ceremonias importantes. No obstante, las historias orales que explican los diseños no sobrevivieron para relatar la función o sentido de estos objetos de valor.
Oval-shaped stone sculptures recovered in Puerto Rico may represent cloth or leather belts or collars. Artists rounded and polished the elliptical slabs after removing the central portion, sometimes adding zemí-related imagery. No oral histories survive to relate the function or deeper meaning of these valued objects; however, they likely formed parts of regalia that conveyed political power during important ceremonies.
Varias esculturas en forma de óvalo que representan cinturones o collares de textil o cuero fueron recuperadas en Puerto Rico. Los artistas redondeaban las piedras, vaciaban el centro y luego lo pulían, a veces incorporando imágenes de cemíes. Tales esculturas probablemente fueron partes de ensamblajes que transmitían el poder político durante de ceremonias importantes. No obstante, las historias orales que explican los diseños no sobrevivieron para relatar la función o sentido de estos objetos de valor.
Oval-shaped stone sculptures recovered in Puerto Rico may represent cloth or leather belts or collars. Artists rounded and polished the elliptical slabs after removing the central portion, sometimes adding zemí-related imagery. No oral histories survive to relate the function or deeper meaning of these valued objects; however, they likely formed parts of regalia that conveyed political power during important ceremonies.
Artwork Details
- Title: Effigy Belt or Collar
- Date: 11th–15th century
- Geography: Puerto Rico, Caribbean
- Culture: Taíno
- Medium: Stone
- Dimensions: W. 12 × L. 17 1/4 in., 15 lb. (30.5 × 43.8 cm, 6.8 kg)
- Classification: Stone-Sculpture
- Credit Line: Collection of José Roméu and Sidney Babcock
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing