Peru, South Coast, Nasca / 100 BCE–700 CE
Female Figure
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Female Figure as sculpture (Peru, South Coast, Nasca · 100 BCE–700 CE).
This figure, which may once have worn small garments, might be a tomb offering. Her tapered head reflects the practice of cranial shaping, which may identify her social group and serve as a mark of beauty.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as earthenware with colored slips.
The museum's collection notes: This figure, which may once have worn small garments, might be a tomb offering. Her tapered head reflects the practice of cranial shaping, which may identify her social group and serve as a mark of beauty. Her fleshy hips likely refer to human and plant fertility, since food is the source of such bodily wealth. Her identity is unknown.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtFemale FigureOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.