Minneapolis Institute of Art

Figure

Valdivia artist

Date

4000–3000 BCE

Medium

Tufa

Culture

Valdivia

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

One of the earliest sculptural traditions of the ancient Americas was that of the Valdivia culture, which began around 3550 bce along the Pacific coast of present-day Ecuador. Valdivian artists created figures out of both stone and ceramic, portraying men, women, and animals in a variety of sizes. Sculptures such as this one are believed to depict a stylized owl, perhaps with supernatural associ- ations related to the bird’s nocturnal habits.

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