Figurine fragment

ca. 400 BCE - ca. 650 CE
Unknown Artist (Teotihuacan)

Object Type	Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection
Dimensions	4 x 5 x 2 1/2 in. (10.16 x 12.7 x 6.35 cm)
Medium	Earthenware
Credit Line	Bates College Museum of Art, Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection, gift of the Marsden Hartley Estate, 1951.2.98
Accession Number	1951.2.98

Head from a mold-made and hand-modeled figurine, with double eyebrow ridge suggesting the portrayal of an older person. The figure sports an asymmetrical coiffure, wide earflares, and two flower-like or feathered ornaments top the head. These resemble earflares, flowers, divination mirrors, and the feathered eyes of the butterfly, all typical of Teotihuacan iconography. As primary symbols of Teotihuacan warriors, portrayals of these items often are merged into a single, multi-referential form as seen here. The remains of a red paint atop a white under-slip cover the fragment.