From one of the most remote locations on earth, this figure fusing a lizard and man is thought to have served as a guardian at entrances to sacred sites. A skink lizard found on the island inspired the artist to create a sleek and slippery body, which is merged with human hands and spine. Rapa Nui, a volcanic island in the southeast Pacific, is home to a culture that erected astonishing stone monuments that continue to be a source of fascination.
Wood, shell, and stone
21 3/8 x 2 7/8 x 2 3/4 in. (54.29 x 7.3 x 6.99 cm)
Gift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company
81.17.1423
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
Now on view at the
Seattle Art Museum
Resources
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, The Untold Story, Nov. 14, 2003 - Nov. 14, 2004.
Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.
