A number of sculptures depicting abstract human figures with wrinkled faces, stooped posture, hunched backs, and flexed knees holding staffs are known from the Huastec region of northern Veracruz. Here the figure's chin rests on a staff held with both oversized hands, which extends to his large feet creating two open negative spaces emphasizing the figure's outline; there is no separation between the arms or legs. It has been suggested that the "staff" may represent a digging stick used for breaking the ground for planting, and that the figure may depict the Huastec thundergod Mam, who was associated with fertility and a bountiful harvest.
Unusual for Mexico, where Precolumbian stone sculpture is customarily compact and tightly worked with a strong central core, Huastec figures such as this one have two large open, negative spaces as part of their composition, underlining the singularity of northern Veracruz stone sculpture. An early purchase made the year the Museum of Primitive Art was chartered, the Huastec sculpture was included in its inaugural exhibit, <em>Selected Works One</em>, which opened in February 1957.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Hunchback Leaning on Staff
Date:10th–12th century
Geography:Mexico, Mesoamerica, Veracruz
Culture:Huastec
Medium:Sandstone
Dimensions:H. 35 x W. 5 3/4 x D. 14 3/4 in. (88.9 x 14.6 x 37.5 cm)
Classification:Stone-Sculpture
Credit Line:The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1963
Accession Number:1978.412.17
[Julius Carlebach Gallery, New York, until 1954]; Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York, 1954, on loan to Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1956–1963; Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1963–1978
Museum of Primitive Art. "Masterpieces from the Americas," May 20, 1964–November 11, 1964.
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. "Pre-Columbian Art of Latin America," May 14, 1966–June 24, 1966.
Museum of Primitive Art. "The World of Primitive Art," July 12, 1966–September 11, 1966.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Oceania, Africa and the Americas from The Museum of Primitive Art," May 10–August 17, 1969.
American Federation of Arts. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," January 5, 1975–May 15, 1977.
Seattle Art Museum. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," January 5, 1975–February 16, 1975.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," March 23, 1975–May 4, 1975.
Dallas Museum of Art. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," June 8, 1975–July 20, 1975.
Art Institute of Chicago. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," August 25, 1975–October 10, 1975.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," November 9, 1975–December 21, 1975.
Walker Art Center. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," June 27, 1976–August 8, 1976.
Denver Art Museum. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," September 10, 1976–November 7, 1976.
de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," March 12, 1977–May 15, 1977.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Nelson Rockefeller Vision: In Pursuit of 'The Best' in the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas," October 7, 2013–October 9, 2014.
Medellín Zenil, Alfonso. Exploraciones en la Region de Chicontepec o Huasteca Meridional - Temporada 1. Xalapa-Enriquez, Veracruz: Editora del Gobierno de Veracruz, 1955, pp. 175–77.
Museum of Primitive Art. Masterpieces in the Museum of Primitive Art: Africa, Oceania, North America, Mexico, Central to South America, Peru. Handbook series. New York, NY: Museum of Primitive Art, 1965, no. 88.
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Art of Oceania, Africa, and the Americas from the Museum of Primitive Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1969, no. 606.
American Federation of Arts. Primitive Art Masterworks: an exhibition jointly organized by the Museum of Primitive Art and the American Federation of Arts, New York. New York: American Federation of Arts, 1974, no. 717.
Schlotterback, Thomas. 5000 Years of Art: An Exhibition from the Collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bellingham, WA: Whatcom Museum of History and Art, 1976.
Newton, Douglas. Masterpieces of Primitive Art: The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978, p. 149.
Solís Olguín, Felipe. Mexico en el mundo de las colecciones de arte: Mesoamerica, edited by Maria Luisa Sabau Garcia. Vol. vol.1. Mexico: D.R. Primera, 1994, p. 229.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.