CC0 · no rights reserved
Head with Animal Helmet
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The Gulf Coast of Mexico was an important center of ceramic sculpture production for more than 2,000 years. Nearly life-size hollow effigies, produced after about AD 600, are among the most spectacular works from this region. Although the faces were sometimes made with molds, this example appears to be hand-modeled. The mythical serpent helmet indicates that the figure may be a ritual performer.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineHead with Animal Helmet, c. 600–1000. Mexico, Gulf Coast, San Andrés Tuxtla(?). Earthenware, pigment; overall: 39.1 x 23.4 x 16.5 cm (15 3/8 x 9 3/16 x 6 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener, 1990.237
