Veracruz Howling Paca, Late Classic, ca. A.D. 600-900

Veracruz Howling Paca, Late Classic, ca. A.D. 600-900
height 16 1/4in (41.3cm)

Provenance
Dr. & Mrs. George Kennedy, Los Angeles, acquired prior to 1968
Deborah Kennedy, Portland
Ancient Art of the New World, New York
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1996

Published
Von Winning; Hasso, Pre-Columbian Art of Mexico and Central America, Abrams, 1968, fig. 250
Ancient Art of the Veracruz, Ethnic Arts Council of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 1971, fig. 48

Exhibited
Ancient Art of Veracruz, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 23 February - 13 June 1971

A large rodent that lives in the dense, moist undergrowth of the rain forest, the paca produces a litter in early spring and, thus, may have been a fertility symbol. Large figures such as the present work illustrate that the artist understood the limitations and possibilities of the material they were working with--the clay walls are thin and the limbs and head are skillfully attached with smooth transitions. The paca sits on all fours, howling upwards with its mouth ajar revealing fangs expressing enormous tension.