|
|
 |
|
Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros
Crater of Popocatépetl
|
Balthasar van der Ast
Still Life with a Basket of Fruit
|
Jean-François Millet
Peasant Spreading Manure
|
Jasper Francis Cropsey
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire
|
Chris Drury
Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky
|
Mexican, Vera Cruz Culture, El Zapotal Style
Standing Female Deity or Deity Impersonator
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
    |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Focus Works of Art
Standing Female Deity or Deity Impersonator
|
|
|
|
Mexican, Vera Cruz Culture, El Zapotal Style
(Ancient American)
Standing Female Deity or Deity Impersonator,
about 600–900 |
|
|
The female figure is either a deity or a priestess impersonating the deity. She wears a mask made from coils of clay over her mouth. This face mask is similar to the figure's headdress, which is decorated with two serpent heads. The figure also wears a belt of intertwined snakes. (The head of the second snake has broken off over time.) These serpents probably connect this figure with a particular goddess whose name we do not know. The figure carries a knife in one hand and an incense bag decorated with a skull in the other. She is clothed in a long garment and wears a bracelet and necklace of shells or large seeds. She also wears circular ear flares, or large disks worn like earrings, an accessory usually associated with the elite.
What do we know about the Vera Cruz culture?
No written language from the Vera Cruz culture has been discovered. Our only information about these people comes from art and archaeological remains, like this sculpture.
Where was this figure originally located?
This clay figure from the Gulf Coast region of Mexico was probably made for funerary purposes. Sculptures like it have been excavated from elaborate burial tombs that included figures of deities and human attendants posed as if taking part in a religious ritual. The monumental sculptures are thought to be the largest ceramic figures made in pre-Columbian America. Their placement in burial tombs helped these fragile objects survive almost intact for more than one thousand years.
How was it made?
The size of this sculpture tells us the culture was skilled in ceramics. Artists used basic techniques, such as hand modeling and coiling, to create forms from clay. This figure was probably made from a clay slab that was molded to form a hollow body. Details, such as the mask and earrings, were made by coiling clay and were applied to the larger form. Once the figure was finished, it was coated with a colored slip, or watery clay mixed with mineral or vegetal pigments. It was then fired in an open fire or pit. Two holes were left in the back of the figure to allow heated air to escape, so the figure wouldn't explode during firing. No enclosed kilns have been found from the Vera Cruz culture. Therefore, the ceramics they created were fired under low-heat conditions and are more porous than stoneware or porcelain.
|
|
 |
|
Below are suggestions for using the Focus Work of Art with students in the classroom. The activity and discussion ideas are listed in order of difficulty. The activity instructions and italicized discussion questions may be presented directly to students. The icons below each suggestion note the related subject area(s). Click on each icon to determine which subject area it represents. Browse the thematic Lesson Plans for more ideas on how to use this work of art and theme in the classroom. |
- Natural Resources
Using a Venn diagram, compare the ways the sculpture and a map provide information about Vera Cruz's natural resources. What kinds of information do these different sources provide? Predict when and how you would use each as a resource.
 
- Myth Making
This figure represents or is associated with an unknown deity. Write a story about this mysterious deity based on the visual elements of the sculpture. Include details about this deity's powers and the story of her creation. How might this sculpture relate to your deity?
- Qualities of Clay and Marble
Use your senses to explore pieces of wet and hardened clay. List the physical characteristics of this material. Do the same for a piece of marble. Why do you think artists have used these materials for centuries? What are the artistic advantages and disadvantages to both? What kind of tools does an artist need to work with each of these materials? Which would you rather work with?
- Object Preservation
Discuss the physical condition of this sculpture, which dates to between 600 and 900 A.D. How did the original location of the sculpture aid its survival? Research the science of archaeology. What tools do the archaeologists use to carefully excavate objects? Find some current dig sites in the Americas. Write a brief report about the archaeological finds at one of those sites. Archaeology information can be found at the following web sites: MayaQuest, Colonial Williamsburg, Dig and Archaeology Magazine.
- Firing Clay
Study the process of firing clay. What purpose do the holes on the back of this sculpture serve? What would have been emitted through those holes? What is the difference between high- and low-heat firing? How are the products different? What is the common practice for firing clay today? As an extension, model a figure out of clay, glaze it and fire it in a kiln. Examine the physical qualities of the fired work of art.
|
|
