Two-headed Female Figurine

Description

This ceramic figurine—in the style of Tlatilco, an early village site in central Mexico—depicts a female with two heads and stubby arms. Since many figurines from the period depict females, modern interpreters usually connect them to fertility concerns. Here, however, the physical abnormalities may indicate a relationship with the supernatural realm.

Provenance

(Stendahl Art Galleries, Los Angeles, CA, 1959, sold to James C. and Florence C. Gruener) (?-1959); James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1959-1990); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1990-)

Two-headed Female Figurine

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1200–400 BCE

Accession Number

1990.141

Medium

Ceramic, pigment

Dimensions

Overall: 9.6 x 4.2 x 1.8 cm (3 3/4 x 1 5/8 x 11/16 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener