Life Death Figure
Arts of the Americas
The face on this small yet powerful sculpture exemplifies the dualism of ancient Mesoamerican religion with respect to life and death by combining a skull with lifelike features. Previous interpretations, based on the two-horned headdress and jeweled headband, identified the figure as Xiuhtecuhtli (Lord of Fire) or Tonacatecuhtli (Lord of Sustenance). More recent scholarship suggests that the two horns or tufts may refer to the two temples crowning the Templo Mayor, the Mexica (Aztec) ceremonial center that dominated the capital of Tenochtitlán, in present-day Mexico City. The temples were dedicated to Huitzilopochtli (Lord of Warfare) and to Tlaloc (Lord of Rain and Fertility).
La cara de esta pequeña pero poderosa escultura ejemplifica el dualismo de la antigua religión Mesoamericana con respecto a la vida y la muerte, al combinar una calavera con una cara de rasgos vitales. Interpretaciones previas, basadas en el tocado de dos cuernos y cintillo enjoyado, identificaban la figura como Xiuhtecuhtli (Dios del Fuego) o Tonacatecuhtli (Dios del Sustento). Recientemente académicos han sugerido que los dos cuernos pueden referirse a los dos templos que coronaban el Templo Mayor, el centro ceremonial Mexica (Azteca) que dominaba la capital de Tenochtitlán, en la actual Ciudad de México. Los templos estaban dedicados a Huitzilopochtli (Dios de la Guerra) y a Tlaloc (Dios de la Lluvia y Fertilidad).
MEDIUM
Volcanic Stone
DATES
1200–1521
PERIOD
Post-Classic
DIMENSIONS
10 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 6 1/8 in. (26.7 x 14 x 15.6 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
64.50
CREDIT LINE
Purchased with funds given by The Henfield Foundation
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Aztec stone figure. The circles on the headdress represent fire and the two horn-like projection on top of the head help identify the figure as Xiuhtecuhtli, the Lord of Fire. This deity was associated with fire and life as well as with the household hearth where food was prepared and household rituals were performed.The left side of the head represents life; the right side symbolizes death. This is an unusual representation of this deity. The body is a simple abstract form.
Condition: Right arm has repaired crack. Conservation observed damage to nose in 1984; tip had been broken off and lost; area was tinted with watercolors to make it less apparent. Condition generally good. Overall surface wear. Recessed brass hole for mount.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Aztec. Life Death Figure, 1200–1521. Volcanic Stone, 10 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 6 1/8 in. (26.7 x 14 x 15.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by The Henfield Foundation, 64.50. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 64.50_view2_SL4.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 64.50_view2_SL4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a
Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online
application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the
United States Library of Congress,
Cornell University,
Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and
Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our
blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact
copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and
we welcome any additional information you might have.
