Lizard Figure (Moko Miro)
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Object Label
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.
Caption
Rapanui. Lizard Figure (Moko Miro), 19th century. Wood, 15 3/4 x 3 x 2 in. (40 x 7.6 x 5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 41.1277. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 41.1277_SL1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Lizard Figure (Moko Miro)
Date
19th century
Geography
Place made: Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Valparaiso Region, Chile
Medium
Wood
Classification
Dimensions
15 3/4 x 3 x 2 in. (40 x 7.6 x 5.1 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund
Accession Number
41.1277
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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