Ancient Ceramic Figures

Depictions of ancient ceramic figures from various cultures, showcasing unique craftsmanship, styles, and forms of human representation.

Standing female figure, late 19th century, 11 1/2 × 3 1/16 × 3 9/16 in. (29.21 × 7.78 × 9.05 cm) (with base), Wood, Angola, 19th century

Male Figure 250 BCE-400 CE Michoacán. Ceramic and pigment . Michoacan

Standing Figure

Ceramic Seated Female Figure. Culture: Carchi. Dimensions: H. 10 x W. 7 in. (25.4 x 17.8 cm). Date: 11th-16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Prehistory, Iraq, Samara culture. Alabaster female figure, 6th millennium b.C. From Tell es-Sawwan. Detail.

Double-sided Wooden Figure Carving 8th-mid-16th century Peru; north or central coast (). Double-sided Wooden Figure Carving 309269

Standing Male Figure, AD 300-900 (Thermoluminescence date, 240-945). Mexico, Gulf Coast, 4th-10th Century. Earthenware, asphalt and resin paint; overall: 58.5 x 24.8 x 14.7 cm (23 1/16 x 9 3/4 x 5 13/16 in.).

Standing female figure, late 19th century, 11 1/2 × 3 1/16 × 3 9/16 in. (29.21 × 7.78 × 9.05 cm) (with base), Wood, Angola, 19th century

Female Figurine, 400-100 BC. Mesoamerica, Guanajuato or Michoacán, Chupícuaro. Ceramic, pigment; overall: 9 x 4.8 x 1.9 cm (3 9/16 x 1 7/8 x 3/4 in.).

Seated Figure Wearing Serpent Mask. Mexico, Oaxaca, Monte Alban IIIb (), 500-900 CE. Ceramics. Gray ceramic, carved, incised, and burnished

Female Figurine. Chupícuaro; Guanajuato or Michoacán, Mexico. Date: 500 BC-300 BC. Dimensions: H. 18.5 cm (10 1/2 in.). Ceramic and pigment. Origin: Guanajuato state. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Seated Male Deity (). Culture: Aztec. Dimensions: Overall: 17 3/4 x 7 1/4 x 8 3/4 in. (45.09 x 18.42 x 22.23 cm)Other: 7 1/4 x 8 3/4 in. (18.42 x 22.23 cm). Date: 15th-early 16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Whistle. Mexico, Maya, 600-800 CE. Ceramics. Slip-painted ceramic

Standing figure. Culture: Bahia. Dimensions: H. 11 x W. 4 in. (27.9 x 10.2 cm). Date: 3rd-4th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Fantastic animal. Terracotta with traces of polychromy. China, Northern Wei Dynasty. Paris, Cernuschi museum. Fantastic animal, Chinese art, China, Northern Wei dynasty, Mingqi, Funeral statuette, terracotta, polychromy trace

Standing Female Figure, 600-900. Mexico, Veracruz, Veracruz Monumental Sculpture type. Burnished pottery with orange slip, traces of red and white pigment, and asphalt paint; overall: 71.1 x 31.8 x 17.8 cm (28 x 12 1/2 x 7 in.).

Water Deity (Chalchiuhtlicue). Culture: Aztec. Dimensions: H. 15 1/4 x W. 10 x D. 9 1/4 in. (38.74 x 25.4 x 23.5 cm). Date: 15th-early 16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Ancestor Figure(Bulul)

Human-Headed Cat. Egypt, circa 945-664 BCE. Sculpture. Faience

Crouching Female Figure

Full-Standing Figure. Iran, no date. Sculpture. Bronze

Seated Figure. Mexico, Colima, Colima, 200 BCE-500 CE. Ceramics. Burnished ceramic with slip and incised decoration

Terracotta statuette of a woman ca. 1725-1450 B.C. Cypriot The figure is hollow, unlike others of its type. The elongated ovoid body is swollen in the middle and narrows toward its head and legs.. Terracotta statuette of a woman 241100

Standing Male Figure A.D. 100-400 Nayarit This imposing male figure stands with his legs apart, his right arm at his side, and his left arm raised in order to rest an implement on his shoulder. He wears a conical hat with an incised, or stamped, checkered basket-weave pattern, and with a band along the bottom edge. The checkered part of the hat is folded and wraps around to tie in the back. An appliqued red cord with two white shells crosses the crown of the hat and another red cord dangles from the back, where incised hair is visible. His face features a modeled brow and cheekbones, and his nose is adorned with a four-looped, appliqued nose ring. The mouth opens enough to reveal the incised white teeth separated by black lines, and the carved eyes show traces of white and black slip. The face and arms were painted in a rich ocher slip that suggests a natural skin color. In each ear, the figure wears eight to nine earrings, featuring appliqued tabs and disks. He is clothed in a long, c

Figure, early-to-mid 20th century, 9 1/4 x 2 11/16 x 2 1/4 in. (23.5 x 6.8 x 5.7 cm) (without mount), Wood, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20th century, The triangular patterns on the hat and torso of this figure refer symbolically to the protective scales of the pangolin, a small African mammal. Pangolins are associated with the ancestors in Chokwe society because they burrow into termite mounds, considered thresholds between the world of spirits and humans.

Figure, 16thcentury, Terracotta, 12 × 5 3/4 × 4 in. (30.48 × 14.61 × 10.16cm), Country Chad, Country Cameroon, Sao, 16thcentury, Sculpture

Single-Spout Vessel in the Form of a Figure Holding a Jar. Tiwanaku-Wari; South coast Peru or northern Bolivia. Date: 600 AD-1000. Dimensions: 15.2 × 15.6 cm (6 × 6 1/8 in.). Ceramic and pigment. Origin: Bolivia. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Seated Deity with Glyph C Headdress. Mexico, Oaxaca, Peche period, Zapotec, 500-600 CE. Ceramics. Ceramic

Standing female figure, 250 BCE - 300 CE, 3 x 1 3/4 x 7/8 in. (7.6 x 4.4 x 2.2 cm), Earthenware, Mexico, 3rd century BCE - 4th century CE

Standing Male Figure Holding a Plate. Colima; Colima, Mexico. Date: 100 AD-400 AD. Dimensions: H. 40 cm (15 3/4 in.). Ceramic and pigment. Origin: Colima state. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Standing female figure, 200-700, 6 5/8 x 3 x 1 in. (16.8 x 7.6 x 2.5 cm), Earthenware, Mexico, 3rd-8th century

Ancestor Figure(Bulul)

Vessel in the shape of a woman carrying a churn. From Gilgat, Negev, over 6,500-5,500 years ago, made from pottery.

Stand of a funeral figure in the shape of a woman with a timbrel, anonymous, c. 220 - c. 589 Wooden pedestal from later date. China wood (plant material) painting Wooden pedestal from later date. China wood (plant material) painting

Ceramic Figure Vessel. Culture: Remojadas. Dimensions: H x W x D: 12 x 9 1/4 x 7 1/2in. (30.6 x 23.5 x 19.1cm). Date: 6th-9th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Figure Aztec 15th-early 16th century View more. Figure. Aztec. 15th-early 16th century. Stone. Mexico, Mesoamerica. Stone-Sculpture

Standing Female Figure A.D. 100-400 Nayarit This female figure has a smoothly modeled face, perhaps a portrait. Emphasis was given to the brow area, and to the carved, black oval eyes, accentuated by black face paint and with a spot of white slip to mark each pupil. The mouth is open to reveal the individually carved white teeth, each also outlined in black. The nose is adorned with a nose ring consisting of seven appliqued loops. A series of parallel black zigzags representing face paint covers the lower part of the figures face. The hair is parted in the middle and bound around a turban, the ends wrapped with a decorative cord The figure wears seven appliqued earrings per ear, each with a black tab and white disk. A simple necklace is indicated by a thick double black band. A sienna-hued slip was used to indicate exposed parts of the body. The back of the figure is finished with delicately sculpted shoulder blades and hips. An inverted-triangle motif portraying either tattoos or bod

Seated Hunchbacked Dwarf 300 CE-400 CE Western Mexico. Ceramic and pigment . Colima

Vessel, 6th-8th century, 17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm), Clay, pigments, Peru, 6th-8th century, Moche leaders subjected their prisoners of war to public humiliation, torture, and often sacrifice. Typically in Moche art, captured enemies are shown in the nude. But the artist who created this vessel chose to emphasize the prisoners high status by depicting him in full regalia. In addition to his stoic expression, the figures headdress, nose ornament, ear spools and patterned tunic illuminate his status—and reinforce the significance of his defeat.

Pawian - Thot. unknown, author

Statuette (usual name), 1400. Covered sandstone. Cernuschi Museum, Asia Museum of Asia in the city of Paris.

Mexico, Anahuac, Teotihuacan, Anthropomorphic ceramic representation on display in the site Museum.

Figure of a Warrior in Leather Armor, 20th Century. China, Modern. Buff earthenware with traces of polychromy; overall: 32.4 cm (12 3/4 in.).

Figure of lion. Dimensions: h. 7.4 cm (2 15/16 in). Dynasty: Dynasty 12, late - 13 up to 1700. Date: ca. 1850-1700 B.C.. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Head of a Goddess. Afghanistan, 1st century B.C.. Sculpture. Terracotta

Statuette of a Grotesque Male Figure. Unknown

Statuette (usual name), 1400. Covered sandstone. Cernuschi Museum, Asia Museum of Asia in the city of Paris.

Phoenician civilization - 3rd century b.C. - Votive head

Bhringi, anonymous, c. 1700 - c. 1800 The philosopher (rishi) bhringi with three legs; The third has been removed. India wood (plant material). dye The philosopher (rishi) bhringi with three legs; The third has been removed. India wood (plant material). dye

Limestone fragment of a lyre or throne ca. 3rd-1st century B.C. Cypriot The head of an eagle may have been part of the lyre in a very large statue of the god Apollo or, less probably, it may have embellished the throne of a seated figure.. Limestone fragment of a lyre or throne 242134

Figure with Sword, 4th-3rd Century BC. China, Eastern Zhou dynasty (771-256 BC), Warring States period (475-221 BC). Wood with traces of polychromy; overall: 49.5 cm (19 1/2 in.).

Figure 3rd millennium B.C. Valdivia The Valdivia figurine tradition represents the earliest known example of this form of artistic expression in the Americas. Initially produced from stone, these tiny statuettes have been interpreted as fertility figures, shamanic spirits, and mythical ancestors, although their precise meaning remains uncertain. Typically female, early stone figurines varied in form from simple engraved tablets to carefully carved miniature sculptures, like the one pictured here. This tiny figurine stands but 3.5 inches tall, and was probably made from a form of calcium carbonate. Most likely female, the figure's face is formed by a series of incised lines surrounded by a halo of straight, long hair. Her arms are indicated just barely and the faint impression of breasts is apparent. Her legs are formed by two vertical lines that flare slightly at the waist and feet. Although ceramic figurines eventually came to replace stone figures in Valdivian culture, many of the tr

Figure of a Musician with a Harp

Furniture support: female sphinx with Hathor-style curls. Culture: Old Assyrian Trading Colony. Dimensions: 5 x 1.5 in. (12.7 x 3.81 cm). Date: ca. 18th century B.C..This piece is one of a set of four furniture legs, probably found at the site of a palace at Acemhöyük in central Anatolia, carved in the shape of compact seated sphinxes without wings. They have large eyes with inlaid pupils, only one of which survives intact. Traces of gold foil remain on the hair and headdresses as well as eyes of some examples. The pink staining of this piece indicates that iron oxides are present on the surface, although it is not known whether this was a deliberate decorative treatment, or a result of contact with the soil in which the pieces were buried. Additionally, the overall gray color indicates that the object was exposed to considerable heat, perhaps during the destruction of the palace. Each sphinx wears a wig or hairstyle in which heavy locks of hair ending in large curls, held behind prot

Dogu, ceramic statue, Japan. Japanese Civilisation, Neolithic, Jomon period, 11th-4th century BC.

Ceramics depicting the stages of life (3rd c. AD). Death. Moche or Mochica Art. PERU. LAMBAYEQUE. Sipn. Royal Tombs of Sipn Museum.

Ceramic figurine of a seated woman. Nayarit, Mexico. 3rd century BC-3rd century AD. British Museum. Londres. GBR.

Figure Stirring a Cauldron. Egypt, 305 BCE - 641 CE. Sculpture. Terracotta

Ancient terracotta feline warrior head, from the Tiwanaku, the pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia. Dated 9th Century

Male figure. Taino culture. 15-16th cent.

Standing Figure 5th-1st century B.C. Esteros or Bahía The Bahía people occupied the coast of Manabí Province, where they continued the ceramic tradition of depicting human figures that had started 2,000 years earlier in the region. Their figures vary from hand-modeled to heavy mold-made examples and others that have mold-made faces and hand-modeled bodies. Some have colored and/or applied clothing and ornaments. Associated with the site of Los Esteros in central Manabí, this figure is highly stylized with a flat, sexless body and flipperlike arms. Its angular face has large, applied coffeebean eyes and a very prominent aquiline nose with a heavy nose ring.The meaning of such figures is unknown. One Los Esteros cache contained broken Bahía-style figurines apparently deliberately smashed. Clearly a votive offering of some sort, its intended purpose is conjectural.. Standing Figure 317725

Mingqi Dignitaire ". Dynastie Dynastie Dynastie Dynnia (206 Av. J.-C. Apr.) J.-C.). Park, Cernuschi. 157046-29 Asian art, Chinese art, Han dynasty, in the foot, East, Mingqi dignitaire, statue, statuette, wood

Figure Fragment, c. 900-400 BC. Mexico, Olmec, 1200-300 BC. Greenstone; overall: 27.7 x 13.4 x 5.5 cm (10 7/8 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/16 in.).

Figurka wotywna. unknown, author

Statuette of Harpocrates, 304-30 BC. Egypt, Greco-Roman Period, Ptolemaic Dynasty. Bronze, solid cast; overall: 18.6 x 5.7 x 10.5 cm (7 5/16 x 2 1/4 x 4 1/8 in.).

Figure. Culture: Chupicuaro. Dimensions: H. 3 3/16 in. (8 cm). Date: 3rd century B.C.-A.D. 4th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Female Figure with Headdress, 400-799, 7 1/2 x 3 in. (19 x 7.62 cm), Earthenware, Mexico, 5th-8th century

AncestorFigure

Figurative ColumnFragment

Standing Male Figure

Pre-Columbian art. Pre-Incan. Jama-Coaque Culture. 500 BC-1531 AD. From Ecuador. 68 x 33 cm (diameter). Male figurine. Stye chone. Private collection.

Zoomorphic Stone Figure. Culture: Ecuador. Dimensions: H. 11 x W. 5 5/8 in. (27.9 x 14.3 cm). Date: 5th century B.C.-A.D. 13th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Standing FemaleFigure. Artist: Unknown

Limestone statuette of a servant grinding grain. Dated 2181 BC

Reproduction of Standing Female Figure, 20th century, 11 in. (27.94 cm), Earthenware, Costa Rica, 20th century

Figure: Seated Male 16th century () Sapi-Portuguese. Figure: Seated Male 312351

Kneeling Female Figure 2nd-4th century Nayarit (Chinesco). Kneeling Female Figure 317813

Haniwa in the Form of a Shield, c. 500. Japan, Kofun period (c. AD 300-710). Earthenware with applied, cut, and incised designs and red slip; overall: 120 x 48.7 x 18 cm (47 1/4 x 19 3/16 x 7 1/16 in.).

Kneeling Male Figure (Onilé) Smoking aPipe

"Smiling" Figure 7th-8th century Remojadas Smiling figures (called sonrientes in Spanish) are one of the most intriguing examples of Mesoamerican ceramic artistry, part of a long-standing tradition of hollow ceramic figures produced in south-central Veracruz throughout the Precolumbian period. The animated expression that is responsible for their name is surprising in Mesoamerican art, where emotion of any kind is rarely depicted. Nude from the waist up, this sonriente wears a cap and skirt covered in geometric patterns, circular earspools, and a beaded necklace and bracelet. He raises his right hand as though in greeting and clutches a gourd rattle in his left. Musicians are depicted playing similar rattles in ceremonial scenes from both Veracruz and the Maya area. Thin red lines drawn below the eyes and the chin, and traces of the black tar paint often used in the region (see MMA 1978.412.59) on the chest represent body paint or tattooing. Additional traces of black paint on the skir

Marble statue of a crouching Aphrodite. Roman 1st or 2nd century A.D.

Head Fragment from a Large Ceremonial Jar. Tiwanaku-Wari; Pacheco, south coast, Peru. Date: 700 AD-800 AD. Dimensions: 11.1 × 12.7 cm (4 3/4 × 5 in.). Ceramic and pigment. Origin: Peru. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Standing Female Figure 1200 BCE-600 BCE Central Mexico. Ceramic and pigment . Tlatilco

CigarSmoker. Artist: Unknown

Rasp

Vessel, c. 800, 19 3/4 x 14 1/4 x 15 in. (50.17 x 36.2 x 38.1 cm), Ceramic, Mexico, 8th-9th century, This unusually large vessel portrays a man with a hunched back, a common theme in ancient Mesoamerican art. Individuals with this characteristic had a privileged position in these societies, often serving as attendants to kings and chiefs. They were believed to have a special association with rain, clouds, the earth and caves. The warrior's helmet and earspools on this example illustrate this man's elevated status.

Figure with Slingshot

Anonymous, male character (username), 0025. Gray earth sometimes reddened in fire with traces of red earth. Cernuschi Museum, Asia Museum of Asia in the city of Paris. Sitting on the heels. Left hand relying on a sort of table on which a round basin is placed. A fish is distinguished on the table. Smiling face. Flat hairstyle.

Ancient art: female terracotta figurine, northern Syria, 2000 BC.

Seated human figure. Stone. Aztec culture. Late Postclassic Period (1250-1520 AD). Central Mexico. Museum of the Americas. Madrid, Spain.

Male Figure. Etruscan, 6th century B.C.. Sculpture. Bronze, cast

Torso or Upper Body with Hand to Mouth. Egypt, Late Period (724 - 333 BCE). Sculpture. Terracotta, black-glazed

Ceramic vessel, erotic art Virú culture 100BC-200AC Perú.

Female Figure

Figure of a child China. Figure of a child. China. Baked clay. Eastern Zhou dynasty (770-256 B.C.). Tomb Pottery

Sitting Woman. Northern Iran, possibly from the region of Rudbar, 1300-900 B.C.. Sculpture. Ceramic

Seated Figure

Pre-Columbian art. Pre-Incan. Tolita Culture (500-500 AD). From Ecuador. Ceramic figure. Museo del Banco central. Quito. Ecuador.

Cuchimilco (unglazed terracotta figurines). Female figure. Painted ceramic. Chancay culture, Late Intermediate period (1150-1450 AD). Peru. South America. Museum of the Americas. Madrid, Spain.

Pre-Columbian civilizations, Mexico, Teotihuacan culture, stone mask

France, Paris, Musee du Quai Branly museum, Sasak Ancestor Figure, Indonesia, 20th century

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