Standing Male Figure Holding Hatchet
Artist
Unknown
CulturePre-Columbian | West Mexico
Date100-250 A.D.
MediumClay and paint
DimensionsOverall: 23 3/4 in. (60.3 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number70.4.7
Collections
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 105
Label TextPair of Ancestral Figures Nayarit (West Mexico), 200-900 C.E. Ceramic and paint With their patterned tunics, flaring ear spools, and fanciful caps, these large tomb figures probably represent important members of Nayarit society. Some believe that such male-female pairs depict deceased couples and that their attributes - the man's hatchet and the woman's bowl- symbolize their marital roles. Others believe that are ancestral figures, placed in the family tomb to accompany and protect their kin in the underworld. Museum purchase 70.4.6-.7
