The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Hunchback Seated on a Stool
c. 600–800
Overall: 25 x 19 x 25.1 cm (9 13/16 x 7 1/2 x 9 7/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1998.115
Location: 233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region
Description
The meanings of hunchbacks is not well-studied in Panamanian art. But to the north, in Mexico and Guatemala, such physical anomalies marked individuals of great spiritual power. A few of this figure’s features suggest that hunchbacks held similar status in Panama: The figure sits upon a four-legged stool, a symbol of authority, and the mythic creatures painted on each side may connect the figure to the supernatural realm.- Cleveland Museum of Art, “Cleveland Acquires Major New Sculpture, Rare Chinese Prints, Contemporary Prints, Drawings & Photographs,” October 30, 1998, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.orgSims, Lowery Stokes. The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content, and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 54, no. 14
- The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), Cleveland, OH (June 9-August 20, 2006).Cleveland, OH: MOCA; June 9- August 20, 2006. "The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art." cat. no. 14, p. 116, color repr. p. 54.
- {{cite web|title=Hunchback Seated on a Stool|url=false|author=|year=c. 600–800|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1998.115