Ballgame Palma

Description

In art, ballplayers are shown wearing palmas atop hip protectors like one displayed nearby. The palma covers the chest, as if to insulate it from bruising encounters with the rubber ball. The stone sculptures are too heavy for wear but may mimic the shape of lighter-weight gear used during play. This elegant, fan-shaped palma is adorned with scrolls that form grotesque heads in profile. Traces of blue indicate that like many ancient sculptures it was brightly painted.

Provenance

(Stendahl Art Galleries, Los Angeles, CA, 1965, sold to James C. and Florence C. Gruener) (?-1965); James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1965-1990); The Cleveland Museum of Art (1990)

Ballgame Palma

[]

c. 900–1100

Accession Number

1990.249

Medium

stone, pigment traces

Dimensions

Overall: 42.7 x 8.3 x 19.6 cm (16 13/16 x 3 1/4 x 7 11/16 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener