Figure of a Pregnant Woman
(Ancient Americas )
To manufacture this figurine, an artisan took two small clay coils and pressed them together. The simple details of the body contrast with the often elaborate hairstyles. The female figurines are most often found in middens (trash deposits), usually broken in several pieces. Their relative frequency and simple manufacture suggests that they may have been used in fertility rituals and then discarded. Male figures, distinguishable from the females by the presence of a small bulge at the groin, are relatively rare.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
James Judge, Quito, Ecuador [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John Stokes, Jr., New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Elena Austen Stokes, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2003, by gift.
Exhibitions
2002-2010 | Art of the Ancient Americas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Ecuador, Guayas (Valdivia) (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall: H: 1 1/2 × W: 7/8 × D: 1 in. (3.8 × 2.3 × 2.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Elena Austen Stokes, 2003
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
48.2771