Three-Cornered Sculpture (Trigonolito)
ClassificationsSculpture
Culture
Taíno
Date1200-1500 CE
Made AtDominican Republic
MediumCeramic
Dimensions5 1/2 × 2 1/2 × 8 in. (14 × 6.4 × 20.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Warren and Nancy Lampkin
Object number99.20.30
DescriptionThis three-cornered stone is from the Taíno culture in the Dominican Republic, made 1200-1500 CE. Trigonolitos (three-pointed stones) were ritual objects representing the Taíno spirit of cassava, Yúcahu. They were often buried in farmland to assist in crop yields. That this piece is ceramic is unique, as trigonolitos tend to be made from stone.The vast majority of Taíno art to survive the colonization of the Greater Antilles were objects that were either already used in caves as parts of rituals or were moved there following the arrival of Columbus to protect them.
Dating as far back as the second century BCE, migrations of forerunners to the Taíno brought knowledge of pottery making to the Caribbean. Additional waves of migration served to further change the way that pottery was made until around 1000 CE, after which point the various cultures and groups are referred to by the umbrella term Taíno.
The various subgroups that constituted the Taíno created a wealth of different pottery styles, though their earthenware can be characterized by commonly featuring abstracted anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures with much of the supplemental decoration done as high-relief geometric linework.
On View
Not on view
late 19th Century
c. 1500 CE
20th Century
206 BCE - 220 CE