Photo of collection object Stela Fragment
Stela Fragment, 600–950. limestone, Overall: 31.8 x 30.8 x 12.2 cm (12 1/2 x 12 1/8 x 4 13/16 in.). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener, 1959.334.b. CC0.

Stela Fragment

600–950

Maker Unknown

Art of the Americas

Stela Fragment, 600–950. Mexico, Veracruz?, 600-950 AD. Limestone; overall: 31.8 x 30.8 x 12.2 cm (12 1/2 x 12 1/8 x 4 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener 1959.334.b Figures appear on two sides of this fragmentary stela (upright stone slab carved in relief). One seems to represent a grimacing warrior who brandishes a club; arrow-like darts festoon his belt and hair. On the other side is a skeleton with one fleshed hand, perhaps a sacrificed captive. The eagle with a leaf in its mouth is a hieroglyph that may identify the captive's name. The pointed teeth of the warrior are suggestive of dental modification, a practice known to have occurred from human remains.

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