Integrating the Old World into the New: an "Idol from the West Indies"

• Autores: Joanna Ostapkowicz, Fiona Brock, Alex C. Wiedenhoeft, Rick J. Schulting, Donatella Saviola
• Localización: Antiquity, ISSN 0003-598X, Vol. 91, Nº 359, 2017, págs. 1314-1329
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The Pigorini cemí is an icon of Caribbean colonial history, reflecting early trans-Atlantic cross-cultural exchanges. Although well documented, the piece has received surprisingly little systematic study. We present the first structural analysis and radiocarbon dating of the sculpture (modelled at AD 1492�1524), and a brief discussion of the materials from which it is comprised. These include indigenous shell and European glass beads, newly identified feather and hair fibres, and the enigmatic rhinoceros-horn mask carved as a human face. We also address the sculpture's hidden internal wooden base, which is shown to be a non-indigenous display mount made of European willow (Salix sp.).