The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 18, 2025
Two-headed Female Figurine
1200–400 BCE
Overall: 9.6 x 4.2 x 1.8 cm (3 3/4 x 1 5/8 x 11/16 in.)
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
Double-headed figurines may reflect the belief that interaction between two basic principles gives rise to the universe.Description
This ceramic figurine—in the style of Tlatilco, an early village site in central Mexico—depicts a female with two heads and stubby arms. Since many figurines from the period depict females, modern interpreters usually connect them to fertility concerns. Here, however, the physical abnormalities may indicate a relationship with the supernatural realm.- ?-1959(Stendahl Art Galleries, Los Angeles, CA, 1959, sold to James C. and Florence C. Gruener)1959-1990James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art1990-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Young-Sánchez, Margaret. "The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 79, no. 7 (1992): 234-75. Mentioned: cat. no. 3, p. 267, Reproduced: fig. 3, p. 239 www.jstor.org
- Stories from Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-November 29, 1992).
- {{cite web|title=Two-headed Female Figurine|url=false|author=|year=1200–400 BCE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1990.141