A standing male figure terracotta. The figure is of hollow-moulded pottery containing a number of ceramic pellets, which produce a distinct rattling sound when shaken. He wears an elaborate headdress and regalia and has Maya or Huastec-influenced naturalistic facial features.
 
Mexican Gulf Coast, Classic Veracruz culture: Circa 600 BC - 900 AD.
 
Very Fine condition generally: a small chip to the edge of the right foot.
Height 18 cms (7 ins)
 
Provenance: Long Island, N.Y. collection. Ex. collection of Nancy and John Hyde Devoe, NYC. and N.J., active 1950's - 1970's.
 
Among other settlements were the important Classic Veracruz ceramic centres of Nopiloa and Remojadas, producing distinctive and charming figurines, which '... lend a notably human dimension to the art of Central Veracruz. The exact purpose of this figural rattle is not known, however similar to other Mesoamerican traditions, the rhythmic noise produced by internal ceramic pellets was considered a "sacred sound" capable of facilitating contact with the spiritual world and divine forces. Beyond music, the sound was sometimes intended to ward off evil spirits or malevolent supernatural entities. They were also used in fertility and agricultural rites: Shaking them could imitate the sound of rain to "charm" rain deities or symbolically "shake the seeds" to encourage growth.
 
See our blog post on Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican art - the human focus