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Photo, Print, Drawing Pre-Hispanic Idol.

About this Item

Title

  • Pre-Hispanic Idol.

Summary

  • Shown here are three views of a stylized ceramic sitting human figure. The head lacks facial expression and is a simple extension of a long neck. The arms are reduced to stumps that seem to represent biceps. The legs push forward in a ring shape. The burnished piece is painted all over in red. It was found during an archeological excavation in 1970, among sediments around the ruins and burials in the Painted Cave (Cueva Pintada) at Galdar, Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands of Spain. This is one of the most important pieces of the pre-Hispanic enclave's collection of painted idols. Most of these terracottas take anthropological form, usually the feminine figure. They constitute a homogeneous but unique group among a culture that favors geometrical representation in its decorative motifs on diverse media, such as ceramics, fur, or murals. What the function of these idols was for the pre-Hispanic Canarian society is uncertain but could be related to fertility ritual practices. This piece is in the collections of the Museum and Archaeological Park Cueva Pintada.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [0500 to 1499]

Headings

  • -  Spain--Canary Islands--Gáldar
  • -  500 to 1499
  • -  Antiquities
  • -  Guanches
  • -  Indigenous peoples
  • -  Religious articles
  • -  Sculpture

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: Height: 7.5 centimeters; Maximum width: 5.9 centimeters; Maximum depth: 6.1 centimeters..
  • -  Original resource at: Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670657

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Pre-Hispanic Idol. Canary Islands Gáldar Spain, 0500. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1499] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670657/.

APA citation style:

(0500) Pre-Hispanic Idol. Canary Islands Gáldar Spain, 0500. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1499] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670657/.

MLA citation style:

Pre-Hispanic Idol. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1499] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670657/>.