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Gift of the Estate of Ethel J. Drought.
Fertility Deity
Gift of the Estate of Ethel J. Drought.
Contact us at copyright@samuseum.org for rights and reproduction of this image.

Fertility Deity

Artist Unknown
DepartmentLatin American Art
CultureAztec
Dateca. A.D. 1350-1520
MediumStone
Dimensions8 1/2 × 7 in. (21.6 × 17.8 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the Estate of Ethel J. Drought
Object number44.98.22.b
Geography
Place madeMexico
General regionNorth and Central America
DescriptionGreenstone bust that includes face and arms and hands that meet in the center of the chest. The fingers are incised while the arms have been carved from the stone. The individual portrayed either wears a headdress that is decorated with incised vertical lines and carved circles or has circular decorations in their hair which is represented by vertical lines that extend down below the ears.Label TextThe Mexica (Aztec) were master stone carvers that worked a variety of raw materials. This greenstone bust, likely depicting a deity, would have been valued because of the rarity of the stone in the region and the associations of the color green with concepts of fertility. The lack of fine details on this piece may be due to the hardness of greenstones such as jade. (Bernadette Cap, 2022)Provenancewith Ethel Tunstall Drought (1864-1943), San Antonio, TX by 1944; by gift of the Drought estate to the Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX, 1944; by transfer to the San Antonio Museum of Art 1994Published ReferencesKelker, Nancy L, and San Antonio Museum Association. America before Columbus: Pre-Columbian Art in the Collection of the San Antonio Museum Association (San Antonio: San Antonio Museum Association, 1985), plate 6, 77.

Kelker, Nancy L, and San Antonio Museum Association. America before Columbus: Pre-Columbian Art in the Collection of the San Antonio Museum Association (San Antonio: San Antonio Museum Association, 1985), 129.
On view
Collections
Image Not Available for Female with Abdominal Incision
Female with Abdominal Incision
Unknown
ca. 100 B.C.
Image Not Available for Female with Abdominal Incision
Female with Abdominal Incision
Unknown
Culture: Mezcala
ca. 100 B.C.
Image Not Available for Seated Female Figure
Seated Female Figure
Unknown
Culture: Jalisco
ca. 250-500
Image Not Available for Anthropomorphic Figure
Anthropomorphic Figure
Unknown
Culture: Mezcala culture
ca. 400-100 B.C.
Image Not Available for Standing Figure
Standing Figure
Culture: Mezcala
ca. 400-100 B.C.
San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the Estate of Ethel J. Drought.
Xipe Totec Figure
Unknown
Culture: Aztec
ca. A.D. 1350-1520
San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Lee Moore.
Bowl with Human Figure Inside
Unknown
Culture: Maya
ca. A.D. 750-900
San Antonio Museum of Art, Purchased with the John and Karen McFarlin Fund and the Asian Art Ch…
Yogini
Culture: Indian
ca. 1001-1050
Image Not Available for Kneeling Female Figure
Kneeling Female Figure
Unknown
Culture: Nayarit
ca. 200 B.C.-A.D. 300
San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Palma Figure with Mace
Unknown
Culture: Veracruz
ca. A.D. 700-900
Image Not Available for Anthropomorphic Celt
Anthropomorphic Celt
Unknown
Culture: Mezcala
ca. 400-100 B.C.
Image Not Available for Anthropomorphic Figure
Anthropomorphic Figure
Unknown
Culture: Mezcala culture
ca. 400-100 B.C.

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.

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