Ceremonial Grinding Table (Metate)

Creator Name

Nicoya Nicoya, Guanacaste province, Costa Rica;
Nicoya

Cultural Context

Date

1–500 CE

Source

Art Institute of Chicago

Work details

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Title

Ceremonial Grinding Table (Metate)

Creator

Nicoya Nicoya, Guanacaste province, Costa Rica;
Nicoya

Worktype

Sculpture; stone; art of the americas; ceremonial object; metate; sculpture

Cultural Context

Material

Volcanic stone; extrusive rock; igneous rock; rock; inorganic material

Dimensions

30.5 × 52.1 × 45.7 cm (12 × 20 1/2 × 18 in.)

Technique

carving

Language

Date

1–500 CE

Provenance

Gift of Mrs. Everett McNear in memory of Everett McNear; Enrique Vargas, San José, Costa Rica, by the 1970s [according to correspondence from A. McNear, Oct. 16, 1986, copy in curatorial object file]; sold to Everett (1904–1984) and Ann (died 1994) McNear, Chicago, 1970s [McNear 1982, 37]; by descent to Ann McNear, Chicago, 1984 [incoming receipt, RX16234, Oct. 15, 1986, copy in curatorial object file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1986.

Style Period

nicoya; americas; lower central america; Arts of the Americas

Rights

Public Domain

Inscription

Location

Nicoya

Source

Art Institute of Chicago

Subjects

birds; animals; sacrifice

Topic