Ballgame Scene200 BCE–500 CE

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Terra-cotta ceramic model of an arena with rows of small spectator figures along three walls and a cluster of figures gathered around a ball-like form in the center

Terracotta sculptural scene on a rectangular platform with weathered reddish-brown clay, depicting multiple small figures lining the raised perimeter walls and two figures in the central open area, with traces of white and green pigment remaining.

Ceramic sculptural group on a flat terracotta base, depicting numerous small molded figures arranged around a central scene with two crouching figures, surrounded by standing spectators along a low wall; traces of polychrome pigment visible on the earthenware surface.

Ceramic model of a rectangular ball court with low walls, populated by small hand-modeled figures with traces of red, white, and black pigment; players and spectators arranged around an open playing field with spherical balls, earthenware with worn polychrome surface.

Ceramic model of a rectangular court in terracotta, with rows of small handmodeled human figures lining the perimeter and two figures with a ball on the playing surface; traces of cream and red pigment remain on the weathered clay.

Ceramic model in earthenware with traces of cream and red slip, depicting a rectangular court bordered by rows of small molded human figures; two larger figures and a round ball occupy the interior playing field.

Terracotta ceramic plaque with molded figures arranged around a rectangular court; two central figures interact near a ball while rows of smaller seated and standing figures line all four edges, with traces of original pigment remaining.

Ceramic model of a rectangular court with red-slipped surface, bordered by rows of small molded figures of seated spectators; two central figures interact with a large ball, with traces of polychrome paint throughout.

Small terracotta figural group on a flat base, two seated figures facing each other with red slip and white painted striped headdresses, worn surface with visible age and chipping.

Ceramic sculptural group on a rectangular earthenware platform, with rows of small modeled figures lining the perimeter and two larger wrestling figures in the center; traces of red, white, and striped polychrome slip decoration remain.

Ceramic sculptural group with traces of red and white pigment, depicting a rectangular enclosed court with two small figures in the center and over twenty modeled figures arranged along the surrounding walls, each with distinctive headdresses.

Title: Ballgame Scene
Culture: Nayarit
Place Made: Mexico, Nayarit
Date Made: 200 BCE–500 CE
Medium: Slip-painted earthenware with postfire pigment
Dimensions: 6 × 8 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (15.24 × 21.59 × 34.29 cm)
Credit Line: The Proctor Stafford Collection, purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch
Accession Number: M.86.296.34
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: In this lively scene of a ballgame in progress, a player is about to hit the oversized ball with his hip. Spectators line the court, along with a musician playing a conch-shell trumpet. Garments draped on the wall are perhaps the players’ clothing, which would have been removed before the game. Archaeological evidence for a game played on masonry courts with a solid rubber ball dates to around 1500 BCE. Thereafter, the game was played with varying rules and court sizes throughout Mesoamerica, West Mexico, the Southwestern United States, and the Caribbean. The solid rubber ball could weigh up to 7kg. Wearing heavy padding and protective gear, players could only strike the ball with their hips or elbows. As well as being contests of athletic skill and prowess, games played by rulers and warriors carried more complex connotations, both religious and political, and occasionally resulted in the sacrifice of prisoners captured in war.

Julia Burtenshaw

2024
Selected Bibliography: Whittington, E. Michael, ed. The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2001.
Kan, Michael, Meighan, Clement, Nicholson, H.B. and Rexford Stead. Sculpture of Ancient West Mexico: Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1970.
Pillsbury, Joanne. Design for Eternity: Architectural Models from the Ancient Americas. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015.
Mexico en el Mundo de las Colecciones de Arte: Mesoamerica. Vol.2. Mexico: Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, 1994.
Fuente, Beatriz de la, Leticia Staines Cicero, and María Teresa Uriarte. La Escultura Prehispánica de Mesoamérica. Milan: Jaca Book, 2003.
Von Winning, Hasso, and Olga Hammer. Anecdotal Sculpture of Ancient West Mexico. Los Angeles: Ethnic Arts Council of Los Angeles, 1972.

Ballgame Scene200 BCE–500 CE

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Title: Ballgame Scene
Culture: Nayarit
Place Made: Mexico, Nayarit
Date Made: 200 BCE–500 CE
Medium: Slip-painted earthenware with postfire pigment
Dimensions: 6 × 8 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (15.24 × 21.59 × 34.29 cm)
Credit Line: The Proctor Stafford Collection, purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch
Accession Number: M.86.296.34
Classification: Ceramics
Collecting Area: Art of the Ancient Americas
Curatorial Notes: In this lively scene of a ballgame in progress, a player is about to hit the oversized ball with his hip. Spectators line the court, along with a musician playing a conch-shell trumpet. Garments draped on the wall are perhaps the players’ clothing, which would have been removed before the game. Archaeological evidence for a game played on masonry courts with a solid rubber ball dates to around 1500 BCE. Thereafter, the game was played with varying rules and court sizes throughout Mesoamerica, West Mexico, the Southwestern United States, and the Caribbean. The solid rubber ball could weigh up to 7kg. Wearing heavy padding and protective gear, players could only strike the ball with their hips or elbows. As well as being contests of athletic skill and prowess, games played by rulers and warriors carried more complex connotations, both religious and political, and occasionally resulted in the sacrifice of prisoners captured in war.

Julia Burtenshaw

2024
Selected Bibliography: Whittington, E. Michael, ed. The Sport of Life and Death: The Mesoamerican Ballgame. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2001.
Kan, Michael, Meighan, Clement, Nicholson, H.B. and Rexford Stead. Sculpture of Ancient West Mexico: Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1970.
Pillsbury, Joanne. Design for Eternity: Architectural Models from the Ancient Americas. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015.
Mexico en el Mundo de las Colecciones de Arte: Mesoamerica. Vol.2. Mexico: Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, 1994.
Fuente, Beatriz de la, Leticia Staines Cicero, and María Teresa Uriarte. La Escultura Prehispánica de Mesoamérica. Milan: Jaca Book, 2003.
Von Winning, Hasso, and Olga Hammer. Anecdotal Sculpture of Ancient West Mexico. Los Angeles: Ethnic Arts Council of Los Angeles, 1972.