Artwork Page for Figure in Flower Ornament

Details / Information for Figure in Flower Ornament

Figure in Flower Ornament

500–900

Mexico, Yucatán, Jaina Island region, Campeche, Maya style

(250-900)
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Medium
earthenware with slip
Measurements
Diameter: 3 cm (1 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James B. Wadhams in memory of Miss Helen Humphreys 1967.155.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

Figures within flowers are one of the most enchanting themes of the Maya ceramic art of Jaina, an island off the western Yucatán coast. The figures, usually males who cross their arms over their bodies, are either radiantly youthful or aged (as here), suggesting a relationship to the life cycle.
A muted red earthenware ornament depicts a figure emerging from a five-petaled flower coated in chalky white slip. The figure has deep-set eyes, an open mouth, and arms crossed over its chest. A circular ornament is visible on its ear. The surface is weathered and pitted, the white slip worn away in patches revealing the roughened red clay underneath, contrasting with the smooth sheen of the figure's head.

Figure in Flower Ornament

500–900

Mexico, Yucatán, Jaina Island region, Campeche, Maya style (250-900)

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