Potbelly sculpture

Potbelly sculptures, (Spanish barrigones pl. or barrigón sing.), are in-the-round sculptures of obese human figures carved from boulders. They are a distinctive element of the sculptural tradition in the southern Maya area of Mesoamerica. The precise purpose of potbelly sculptures is unknown, although they appear to have been the focus of public veneration and ritual directed by the ruling elite. Although this sculptural tradition is found within the southern Maya area, it has been recognized that the sculptures themselves are non-Maya.

Potbelly monuments are generally crude in-the-round sculptures of extremely fat human figures; they are usually seated cross-legged and have enormous swollen stomachs gripped in the figure's arms and legs. The heads are round and normally have the eyes closed and possess puffy eyelids and prominent lips. The monuments are generally of indeterminate gender and are usually carved from porphyritic basalt, a kind of rock with a combination of large and small grains of mineral that is common along the foothills of Central America. There are occasional examples of potbelly figures crafted from other materials, such as from ceramic or from other types of rock.

There are variations on the potbelly theme including complete potbelly sculptures, headless potbellies, some of which may be deliberately headless, and potbelly sculptures that consist of only a bodiless head that are recognised as belonging to the style even though they have no potbelly body. Some potbelly sculptures are wearing collars or clothing while others are apparently naked. There are examples with very prominent navels while other sculptures have no emphasis on the navel at all. Some examples of potbelly sculpture have chest ornaments and some sculptures are seated on pedestals. There are examples of potbelly sculptures corresponding to the general type that are not so fat as is the norm.

Potbelly sculptures vary enormously in size and weight, from the smallest examples that can weigh as little as a few grams and measure 4 centimetres (1.6 in) to monuments that weigh 12 tons and measure 2 metres (6.6 ft).

The dating of potbelly sculptures has been problematic with few of the earlier known sculptures being found in their original context. Investigators from the 1950s through to the 1970s argued that the style was Olmec derived or perhaps pre-Olmec. Olmec culture is judged to have lasted from 1500 BC through to 400 BC based on radiocarbon dating. Investigations at Santa Leticia were focused on answering the dating problem and securely dated Santa Leticia Monuments 1 and 3 to between 500 BC and AD 100 using a combination of radiocarbon dating and ceramic evidence.

...
Wikipedia