Winchester College possesses the hollow figurine below. Watch this short video to learn about the object. Beneath the video I give a more complete description of it, its historical context, and the story of its discovery.
The above hollow figurine is from the Cocal Period (1000-1530 AD) and can be viewed in the Treasury at Winchester College. It was discovered on the Bay Islands, off the coast of Honduras, and was given to the College in the 1940s by Sir Allan Cardinall, an Old Wykehamist, and Governor of the Cayman Islands. It features in the Treasury guidebook, linked below. The decoration exemplifies the skill of pre-Columbian potters.
Clearly representing a human, the figurine has a splayed headdress, a necklace and earrings. There are suspension holes on its sides and the decoration has been impressed and incised. Difficult techniques must have been mastered in order to make the object.
The object is 12.5 centimetres tall and 6.4 centimetres wide.
Few records survive about the Paya Indians who lived on the Bay Islands before their discovery by Christopher Columbus in 1502. What we can tell comes from excavated material, such as this figurine. The figurine originates from the Cocal period and offers a glimpse into the indigenous people's culture and technology at this time.
Winchester's collection of around 70 artefacts from the Bay Islands were excavated in 1938, under the direction of Walter Guinness, Lord Moyne. Sir Allan Cardinall had encouraged him to look for ancient pottery in the region. This object was presented by Sir Allan to the College in the 1940s. Most of the 3000-odd pieces excavated are in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge.
Winchester College Collections: winchestercollections.co.uk/collection/hollow-figurine
Winchester College Treasury: treasury.winchestercollege.org
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