Female Figure

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Origin Guanajuato/Michoacán (Mexico)

Title Female Figure

Date 1200–900 BCE

Medium Clay and pigment

Dimensions Object: 6 × 2 3/4 × 1 in. (15.2 × 7 × 2.5 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 6 3/8 × 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (16.2 × 7 × 3.8 cm)

Credit Line Gift of Mr. Ernst Anspach, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 71.83.3

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About this Work

Often referred to as a “standing female figure” this figure was in fact placed on its back or leaned against something else as it is unable to stand on its own. Such figures are often characterized by various forms of jewelry and complex hairstyles some of which may have been used as indications of social status, such as the presence of earspools. While there is a range of possible interpretations, women were often understood as representations of fertility and renewal.

Provenance
More Details

Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Female Figure | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=71.83.3