West Mexico, Colima, Comala style / 100 BCE–300 CE
"Horned" Male
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs "Horned" Male as sculpture (West Mexico, Colima, Comala style · 100 BCE–300 CE).
This figure’s “horn” may be the spire of a conch shell, a reference to fertility.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as earthenware with colored slips, black burial deposits.
The museum's collection notes: This figure’s concentrated, otherworldly expression is emphasized by the hornlike element strapped to its forehead. This "horn" may be the spire of a conch shell, which comes from water and, therefore, refers to fertility—likely an important ritual concern of West Mexican chiefs. The element also could represent the "horn of power" worn in some areas of the world by shamans, the spiritual leaders and healers of small, nonindustrial societies.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of Art"Horned" MaleOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.