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Ballgame Palma
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Stone palmas, so-called today for their palm-frond-like shape, are ceremonial sculptures that may replicate lightweight gear worn over the chest during the ballgame. Palma imagery is not well-studied and the meaning of the caiman (New World alligator) carved on both sides of this example is unknown. The tail is beautifully adapted to the palma's curved upper edge.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBallgame Palma, 900–1100. Mexico, Gulf Coast, Classic Veracruz style (600-1100). Stone, pigment; overall: 43.5 x 24 x 15 cm (17 1/8 x 9 7/16 x 5 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener, 1990.253
