Cleveland Museum of Art

Female Figurine

Date

c. 1200–900 BCE

Medium

earthenware with pigment

Culture

Mesoamerica, Central Mexico, Tlatilco

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. Figurines were also made of perishable materials including wood, paper, cloth, rubber, and dough.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.