New photography by Pat Cagney captured with a digital camera.

Figure of an Infant

Artist Unknown

CultureXochipala (West Mexico)

Dateca. 1500 BC

MediumCeramic and polychrome

DimensionsOverall: 11 in. (27.9 cm)

Credit LineGift of Jack Chrysler, in memory of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number93.32.6

Collections

Ancient American Art

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 105

DescriptionNude child figure, buff ceramic with red and yellow spiral on its head, standing with raised arms, eyes and mouth open. Pierced eyes, teeth and tongue highly modelled.

Label TextFigure of an Infant Xochipala (West Mexico), ca. 1500 B.C.E. Ceramic and polychrome Gift of Jack Chrysler, in memory of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 93.32.6 Despite its pudgy, infant-like body, this baby’s piercing gaze, bared teeth, and clenched fists project a powerful, even menacing, presence. The figure may depict the mythic offspring of a woman and a jaguar known as the “were-jaguar,” and the red and yellow bands on its head may relate to astrology. Such hybrid creatures—often shown with slanted eyes, downturned mouths, and strangely deformed bodies—appear frequently in Pre-Classic art, as the other infant figures in this case attest. Exhibition History"Treasures for the Community: The Chrysler Collects, 1989-1996," October 25,1996 - February 16, 1997.