Apr 18, 2011
Apr 18, 2011
Apr 18, 2011
Apr 18, 2011
Apr 18, 2011
Apr 18, 2011

"Horned" Male (Dwarf?)

"Horned" Male (Dwarf?)

100 BC-AD 300

Earthenware with colored slips, black burial deposits

Overall: 41.5 x 24.9 x 24.7 cm (16 5/16 x 9 13/16 x 9 3/4 in.)

Fiftieth anniversary gift of the Womens Council in honor of the Museum's Seventy-fifth anniversary 1991.20

Did you know?

This figure’s “horn” may be the spire of a conch shell, a reference to fertility.

Description

This figure’s concentrated, otherworldly expression is emphasized by the hornlike element strapped to its forehead. This "horn" may be the spire of a conch shell, which comes from water and, therefore, refers to fertility—likely an important ritual concern of West Mexican chiefs. The element also could represent the "horn of power" worn in some areas of the world by shamans, the spiritual leaders and healers of small, non-industrial societies.

Video

Mortuary Art
Horn of Power
A Tomb Offering
See also

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