Miniature Figure
Artist:
Unknown
Place made:Mexico
General region:North and Central America
Culture: Colima
Period: Pre-Columbian
Date: ca. 200 B.C.-A.D. 300
Medium: Earthenware
Dimensions:
height: 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
width: 1 in. (2.5 cm)
depth: 1/4 in. (0.6 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, bequest of Elizabeth Huth Coates
Object number: 97.1.6.c
Provenance: with W. Douglas Hague, San Francisco, CA, by 1971; by purchase from W. Douglas Hague to Elizabeth Huth Coates (nee Maddux) (1909-1996), San Antonio, TX, before 1996; by bequest from the estate of Elizabeth Huth Coates to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1997.
Label Text
The intended meaning of this miniature figurine is unclear. The extended belly on this female figurine may represent pregnancy. On the back of the figure are marks indicating the spine and ribs, however. In Mesoamerican art such features are highlighted to indicate death or disease. Coupled with these markings, an extended belly could indicate starvation (Bernadette Cap, 2022).
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
