Art Institute of Chicago

Smiling Figurine

Japan

Date

c. 1000–300 B.C.

Medium

Earthenware

Culture

Japan

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Figurines from the Jomon period (about 14,000-300 BCE) have been found in greater numbers than figural representations from Neolithic China or Korea (about 10,000-1500 BCE). Though roughly executed, this figurine exudes human expression. Scholars have found a large number of these figurines, suggesting that they played an important role in Japan’sritual life at the time–something we don’t know much about.

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