Female Figurine
Unknown Artist
c. 1200–900 BCE
Medium
earthenware with pigment
Dimensions
10.9 × 4.1 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener
Accession Number
1990.144
About this artwork
This ceramic figurine—in the style of Tlatilco, an early village site near Mexico City—depicts a nude female with an elaborate coiffure, attenuated arms, and the traces of mineral pigment. Since many figurines from the period depict females, modern interpreters usually connect them to fertility concerns. At Tlatilco, figurines were found in human burials that had been placed under the floors of homes.