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Seated female effigy whistle
Maya
Late Classic Period
AD 600–750
Object Place: Campeche, Mexico, Jaina Island area
Medium/Technique
Earthenware: traces of black and red slip paint and blue post-fire paint
Dimensions
22.1 x 12.5 cm (8 11/16 x 4 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
John H. and Ernestine A. Payne Fund
Accession Number1972.876
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsFigurines
This woman wears jadeite earflares and tubular bead necklaces.
DescriptionJaina-style effigy whistle portraying a seated female figurine with crossed legs, double-strand necklace, earflares (only one survives), facial scarification on chin and lower lip, and a simple wrap dress. The dress is decorated with "Maya blue" post-fire paint, its double application creating a pattern of vertical stripes. Traces of black slip paint are present on her torso, arms and head (hair area). Two splotches of red slip paint embellish the bottom of the figurine. Her arms are broken off at the elbows. Two small openings in the figure's proper left hip transform the effigy into a whistle, with two air holes present at the back of the head.
ProvenanceBy 1968, Alphonse Jax (dealer), New York [see note]; 1972, sold by Jax to the MFA. (Accession Date: September 13, 1972)
NOTE: Lent to Art of Ancient and Modern Latin America (Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans, May 10 - June 16, 1968), cat. no. 138.
NOTE: Lent to Art of Ancient and Modern Latin America (Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans, May 10 - June 16, 1968), cat. no. 138.