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Female Figurine with Topknot

A work made of earthenware.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of earthenware.

Date:

1000–300 B.C.

Artist:

Japan

About this artwork

Jōmon figurines vary greatly in size, manufacture, and refinement, and they are often found broken, as if they have been thrown away. Noticeable in this figurine are the elaborate hairstyle and the patterns on the shoulders. The hairstyle along with the appearance of breasts would indicate that the figurine is meant to represent a female figure. Such figures are thought to have been used as part of rituals relating to childbirth, though the nature of those rituals and why the figures are often found broken is unknown.

Status

On View, Gallery 102

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Female Figurine with Topknot

Place

Japan (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1000 BCE–300 BCE

Medium

Earthenware

Dimensions

14 × 8.9 × 7 cm (5 1/2 × 3 1/2 × 2 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with Funds Provided by the Weston Foundation; President's Exhibition and Acquisition Fund

Reference Number

2010.293

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/200698/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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