Olmec Kneeling Stone Figure

Private Collection

Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1967

Acquired by the present owner family, by descent from the above in 1989

Michael D. Coe, ed., The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership, Princeton, 1996, p. 223, p. 222, fig. 120

Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton,The Olmec World, Ritual and Rulership, December 16, 1995 - February 25, 1996; additional venues:

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 14 - June 9, 1996

Pensively kneeling, the male figure is resting his head on his hand placed on his raised right knee. As one examines the sculpture closely, it is apparent his  left arm is  looped around a large bundle or perhaps person, on his back.  The figure has the characteristics of a dwarf, and the bundle may be a sack associated with shamanic paraphernalia. Carved in rough basalt, the sculpture conveys an unusual mixture of detachment and care for the object being carried.