Ceramic figures in energetic poses and with lively expressions were made in the Ameca Valley, Jalisco. Like other West Mexican works of art, they were intended as offerings in tombs. The range of subjects depicted by these sculptures includes gesturing individuals whose hand positions communicated well-established meanings. This sign language has yet to be described and interpreted, but such excited figures may well be recounting legends or myths.
Credit: Estate of Ruth Falkenau
A.D. 100/800
Ceramic and pigment
55.9 x 55.9cm
1989.83
Image and text courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago, 2019
Where you'll find this
Art Institute of Chicago
Permanent collection