Cleveland Museum of Art

"Horned" Male

Date

100 BCE–300 CE

Medium

earthenware with colored slips, black burial deposits

Culture

West Mexico, Colima, Comala style

Department

Art of the Americas

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This figure’s concentrated, otherworldly expression is emphasized by the hornlike element strapped to its forehead. This "horn" may be the spire of a conch shell, which comes from water and, therefore, refers to fertility—likely an important ritual concern of West Mexican chiefs. The element also could represent the "horn of power" worn in some areas of the world by shamans, the spiritual leaders and healers of small, nonindustrial societies. This figure’s “horn” may be the spire of a conch shell, a reference to fertility.

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