Frog Yoke

Unknown

7th–10th century · Greenstone, pigment (probably hematite) · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

This greenstone yoke is likely a ceremonial representation of a lighter protective guard worn by Mesoamerican ballgame players. The batrachian creature carved in the center of the yoke, with its bulging eyes, small nostrils, and elongated mouth parted by a curving tongue, has been identified as a depiction of an earth monster who resides at the entrance to the underworld. Such imagery is appropriate for the ballgame with its resulting sacrifice of blood to nourish the earth and promote fertility. Into the pattern of interlaces and scrolls on each side of the yoke, the artist incorporated a low-relief depiction of a helmeted human head, perhaps a representation of a ballplayer. On each end of the U-shaped yoke is a profile depiction in higher relief of another human face.

Artist

Unknown

Date

7th–10th century

Medium

Greenstone, pigment (probably hematite)

Culture

Veracruz

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1963