Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Baby Figure
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
© Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. All rights reserved.

Baby Figure

Artist/Maker (Gulf Coast, Mexico)
Dateca. 1500-400 BCE
Mediumpottery, slip paint and pigment
DimensionsOverall: 10 1/8 x 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (25.7 x 21.6 x 11.4 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Terms
    Object number88.0013
    DescriptionHollow baby figures are common in Olmec ceramics and represent ageless, genderless figures possessing supernatural powers. This beautiful example shows typical iconographic conventions: a seated posture with extended arms and open legs, and an emotionless face that still transmits a sense of gravity in its expression. Lacking any garments or ornaments, the only decoration is a skull cap painted in bitumen. The figure itself is covered in white slip paint with traces of red pigment still visible on some parts of the body. Variations in posture and expression, along with a lack of adequate provenience for most of these hollow baby figures, makes it difficult to identify the specific function or significance of these objects. Some interpretations suggest they are purely symbolic images, while others explain them as portrayals of important individuals within Olmec society. It is undeniable that the early artists who produced these images possessed both a sophisticated clay modeling technique and a keen eye for the realistic portrayal of human forms.
    On View
    Not on view
    Collections
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Shaman Figure
    Colima
    ca. 300 BCE-300 CE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Figure
    Classic Veracruz
    ca. 600-800
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Figure
    Olmec
    ca. 600-300 BCE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Figure
    Olmec
    ca. 1500-400 BCE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    A Man of Sta. Christina and A Woman of Sta. Christina
    Artist Unknown
    1784-1786
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Couple on a Swing
    Remojadas
    ca. 100 BCE-300 CE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Male Figure
    Aztec
    ca. 1350-1521
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Mask
    Olmec
    ca. 1500-400 BCE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Figure
    Dakakari people
    not dated
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Female Figure
    Jalisco
    ca. 300 BCE-300 CE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Figure
    Olmec
    ca. 1500-400 BCE
    Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
    Female Figure
    Maya (archaeological culture)
    ca. 1000-500 BCE
    eMuseum
    Copyright © eMuseum