Warrior Figure
San Sebastian style; West Mexico, Jalisco, Warrior Figure, ca. 200 BCE/300 CE, ceramic and polychrome slip, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the bequest of Dr. William Sargent Ladd, public domain, 50.75
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Warrior Figure
- Artist
- Date
ca. 200 BCE/300 CE
- Medium
ceramic and polychrome slip
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
height: 22 3/8 in
- Collection Area
Pre-Columbian Art
- Category
Mesoamerica
Sculpture
- Object Type
figure
- Culture
Shaft Tomb Cultures
- Credit Line
Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the bequest of Dr. William Sargent Ladd
- Accession Number
50.75
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
- Place Made
Created in: Jalisco
This seated figure confronts the viewer with his erect posture and forceful gesture. The two-horned helmet, protective armor, and mace identify the figure as a warrior, with his seated position portraying him as a man of importance. The warrior holds his mace at an angle, enlivening a composition based almost entirely on horizontals and verticals. The surface of the piece is highlighted with incised decoration on the headgear and top half of the armor and with painted decoration on the lower half. This armor, clearly central to the artist's conception of his subject, was probably based on a combination of basketry and textiles that covered the entire torso of high-ranking West Mexican warriors.