FAQ
Life-Death Figure. Possibly Chilituju, State of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Huaxtec artist, circa 900-1250. Stone, 62 3/8 x 26 x 11 1/2 in. (158.4 x 66 x 29.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 37.2897
The Huaxtecs of the Gulf Coast region of Mexico developed a distinctive tradition of stone-carving that emphasized the human figure, compactly carved in the round with clothing and symbolic motifs represented in low relief. When the Aztecs of Central Mexico conquered them in the mid-fifteenth century, the Huaxtecs assimilated many aspects of Aztec culture into their artistic style, while maintaining elements that continued to be distinctly Huaxtec, such as the representation of conical-shaped headdresses.
This sculpture exemplifies the dualities of life-death and creation-destruction that permeate Huaxtec and Aztec art. On one side, an elegant, life-size male figure wears a conical hat, large ear spools, and skirt, while the other side is dominated by a skeleton (the symbol of death) that he carries on his back. The densely patterned designs on the figure's body, including ears of corn and feline heads (fertility and earth symbols), cover the upper arms, hands, abdomen, and legs and are probably representations of tattooing. The recessed eyes and deep depressions of the ear spools probably held precious stone inlays, while the hollowed-out navel was most likely used for ritual offerings.
Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum