Two Huastec Ballplayers... (Total: 2 )

Description

Two Huastec Ballplayers
Northeastern Mexico, c. 900 - 1200 AD

This lot comprises two solid ceramic figures representing female ballplayers, each modeled with compact torsos set above muscular legs. Their gender is indicated by characteristic Huastec conventions: subtle rendering of breasts, wide hips, and body proportions associated with female imagery. Both figures have extensive use of black bitumen to highlight their arm and leg guard, and other body parts. Both in good condition. The taller with head reattached at neck, arms reattached at shoulder, feet reattached to legs. The other with proper right arm reattached at shoulder, and proper left foot restored.

While most Mesoamerican ballgame imagery emphasizes male participants, the Huastec corpus includes female ballplayer figures, reflecting local traditions that linked the game to fertility, renewal, and the cycles of life and death, embedding women directly into its ritual and symbolic framework, rather than excluding them. These sculptures thus highlight both the athletic body and the symbolic role of women in Huastec ceremonial practice.

Provenance:
A Private Collection San Marino, CA

Heights: 10 and 11 ½ inches

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