Ritual Specialist in Animal Form
Unknown artist, Atlantic Watershed, central region of Costa Rica. Ritual Specialist in Animal Form, 300–700 CE. Volcanic stone, 12 ¼ x 7 ½ x 4 ⅞ inches. Denver Art Museum Collection: Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 1995.403.
Human Figure with Animal Face
About A.D. 700–1500
Costa Rica, Central region
Volcanic stone (vesicular andesite)
Gift of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 1995.403
Statues such as this one may have been used in shrines, or to decorate house platforms at large settlements in the central Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. The figure represented is a male human being wearing a feather or basketry headdress, a belt, a necklace, and a mask. The mask probably represents a crocodile, but the upturned snout is also reminiscent of a leaf-nosed bat. Both animals appear prominently in the art of ancient Costa Rica, and may have been mythologically associated with masculine aggression and warfare. The masked figure may portray a ritual performer who embodies such a mythical character.
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