Standing Figure

Olmec, Mexico, c. 1,200-400 B.C.

Jade

Gift of Dr. Robert L. and Chitranee Drapkin

2019.17.7

Most likely a grave deposit, this standing figure has a slender body with legs apart. Through this pose of standing meditation, the figure was also believed to be aligned with the center (axis mundi) of the Olmec cosmos. Arms hang at the sides, elbows slightly bent. The left arm is broken. The typical Olmec “baby-face” has almond-shaped eyes with puffy eyelids, a full-lipped mouth turned down at the edges, and a small nose with drilled nostrils. There are drilled holes in the location of the ears.

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