Brooklyn Museum: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands: Lizard Figure (Moko Miro)

Want to add this object to a set? Please join the Posse, or log in.

Lizard Figure (Moko Miro)

Lizard, human, and avian characteristics merge in these so-called lizard figures. Researchers have advanced many explanations regarding their use. The fact that the legs of of figures like these two form a handle shape suggests they were used as clubs. In addition, the figures may have been held in the hand or worn around the neck by dancers during feasts. Some moko miro were placed in the doorways of houses, eitiher suspended from the roof or set into the ground, to protect the inhabitants from harm. Originally, these figures had inlaid white shell eyes with obsidian pupils.

Medium: Wood,shell
Place Made: Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
Dates: 19th century
Dimensions: 16 x 2 x 1 3/4 in. (40.6 x 5.1 x 4.4 cm)
Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands
Museum Location: This item is on view in The Arts of the Pacific, 1st Floor
Accession Number: 50.78
Credit Line: Museum Collection Fund
Image: Overall, 50.78_view1_acetate_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph