Images(6)

Ceremonial Ball Game Yoke

Artist Unknown

Datecirca 250–900

MediumDiorite

Dimensionsheight, width, and depth: 16 1/4 x 14 3/4 x 4 3/4 in., weight: 48 lb. (41.3 x 37.5 x 12.1 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Ann G. Nisenson

Object numberG.71.46.1

On View

On view

Label TextThis yoke, a U-shaped element of ballgame paraphernalia, represents a protective belt worn around the waist to deflect blows from a solid rubber ball. In this game points were scored by striking a ball as heavy as 7.5 pounds toward a marker set along the field. The ballgame served as a reenactment of warfare, and at the end defeated players were sacrificed. This yoke served as a commemorative trophy for successful participants. The ballgame was a metaphor for life, death, and regeneration.
[A. González, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2022]Published ReferencesBefore Cortes (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970).

Henry Hawley, "Classical Veracruz Sculptures," The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art (December 1974), 321-22.

North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection," (Raleigh, NC; North Carolina Museum of Art, 2024), illus. (color) 201.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, Mary Duke Biddle Gallery, 1976.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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