The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of January 30, 2023

Male Figurine

400–100 BC

Mesoamerica, Guanajuato or Michoacán, Chupícuaro

Ceramic, pigment

Overall: 8.8 x 4.8 x 1.7 cm (3 7/16 x 1 7/8 x 11/16 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener 1990.152

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Groups of figurines were sometimes arranged in scenes and likely used in household rituals.

Description

The Chupícuaro culture, located north of Mexico City in the state of Guanajuato, created a distinctive ceramic tradition including small clay figurines. This example is said to belong to a group of ten figurines from the same burial or cache (1990.145–154). The group includes both males and females that can be sorted into couples based on size.

Provenance
?-1966
Benedict Crowell, Jr., Oaxaca, MX, 1966, given to James C. and Florence C. Gruener
1966-1990
James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1990-
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Citations
Young-Sánchez, Margaret. "The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 79, no. 7 (1992): 234-75. p. 268, no. 20 www.jstor.org
Exhibition history

Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1990.152