Raimondi Stela Description

Raimondi Stela, Chavin de Huantar c. 460-300 BCE

This is a drawing of the Raimondi Stela that was originally drawn by Antonio Raimondi. This drawing depicts the Staff God of the Chavin de Huantar (900-200 BCE) as shown through the figure holding the two ornate staffs. There is a lot of line work and ninety degree intersections. most of the lines are fairly straight with occasional curvature that serves to create more detail for the figure. The god is shown with four heads with three stacked on top of the central head about one-third of the way up from the bottom. Their is sharp and precise symmetry between the left and right sides of the image and this balance of symmetry was a key component in Chavin art.

This piece shows several of the characteristics of Chavin art including the perpendicular intersections, simple lines repeated upon themselves to create a complex image, and symmetry. The piece also shows the technique of Chavin artists of using other animalistic ideas for body parts. The god is depicted with other heads for hair and with the heads sprouting serpentine appendages. This image creates a sort of illusion with the heads that was part of Chavin ceremonies that would be conducted with hallucinogenic snuffs. As a piece in total, it depicts the Chavin connection to abstraction and complexity.

Resources:
Fig. 1. Raimondi Stela, The Staff God. 2012, drawing, 6'5"*2'5". Wikimedia Commons,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raimondi_Stela_(Chavin_de_Huantar).svg
(accessed November 6, 2018).