figurine
- Museum number
- Am,Hn.16
- Description
-
Pottery figurine of a seated woman wearing multiple earrings, a nose ring and armbands. With her left hand she holds a plate which rests on her shoulder and a small dog in the crook of her right arm. She is sitting on a two-legged bench.
- Production date
- 300 BC - AD 300
- Dimensions
-
Height: 54 centimetres
-
Width: 26 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- McEwan 2009, p. 38
Ceramic figurine of a seated woman holding a dog, Nayarit, Mexico, 3rd century BC-3rd century AD
Though otherwise naked, this young woman is depicted with her hair carefully combed and parted and wearing a large nose ring as well as earrings, necklace and armbands. She is seated on a stool rather than directly on the ground, a sign of her status and prestige within the community. The scarification pattern on her shoulders and upper arms was a popular form of body ornament. With her left hand she holds a plate that rests on her shoulder, and a small dog nestles in the crook of her right arm. She leans forward with her mouth open as if intently absorbed in chanting or singing. Collective song and dance was a powerful means of asserting shared traditions and beliefs.
- Location
- On display (G27/dc4)
- Acquisition date
- 1881
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Am,Hn.16
- Additional IDs
-
CDMS number: Am1881C10.16 (old CDMS no.)
