Cleveland Museum of Art

Figurine with Back Rack

Date

300–900 CE

Medium

molded and modeled pottery with traces of pigment

Culture

Mexico, Maya, Jaina style

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Maya figurines—made by hand, with molds, or sometimes a combination of the two techniques—represent a wide range of human, animals, and supernatural beings. This example is a male with an enormous backrack, an article of ceremonial attire worn by dancers and other courtly personnel. Figurines have been found in tombs and offerings but also in household contexts. Figurines from Jaina, an elite Maya burial ground, served as companions for the dead.

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