Standing Warrior Figurine
Unknown Maya artist, Possibly Jaina Island, Campeche region, Mexico. Standing Warrior Figurine, 700–900 CE. Ceramic with pigment applied after firing, 8 ½ x 4 x 3 ½ inches. Denver Art Museum Collection: Gift of May D. & F. Co. in honor of David Touff, 1969.308.
Warrior Figurine
Maya
About A.D. 600–900
Mexico, Campeche coast, Jaina Island
Earthenware with colored pigments
Gift of May D&F Company in honor of David Touff, 1969.308
Beautifully detailed ceramic figurines were often deposited as tomb offerings on Jaina Island, off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. This example has a hand-modeled body and costume. The face was probably made in a mold, with details (such as the facial tattooing or scarification) added by hand. On one side of the face is a deity profile, on the other, a twisted cord or mat motif. Both are symbols of rulership, perhaps indicating that the warrior portrayed by the figurine was a member of a royal family, or a courtier.
- "The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art" — Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 5/17/1986 - 8/24/1986
- Cleveland Museum of Art, 8/8/1986 - 12/14/1986
- "Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya", National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 4/4/2004 - 7/25/2004
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 9/4/2004 - 1/2/2005
- "Grand Gestures: Dance Drama Masquerade"—Denver Art Museum, [12/13/2015 - 12/11/2016]