On view
Art of the Ancient Americas
Pair of wrestlers,
200 BCE–200 CE
Late Formative Period
y1968-63
Shalf-tomb Ceramics of West Mexico The cultures of western Mexico, in the present-day states of Jalisco, Nayarit, and Colima, shared a tradition of burying the deceased in deep shaft tombs located under homes. These tombs often accommodated generations of family members: when someone died, the bones of their ancestors were moved aside to create room for the new ancestor. A great variety of ceramic objects were produced in distinctive local styles to accompany the dead. Human figures might represent loved ones or key moments in the biography of the interred; animal representations might have been perceived as providing sustenance in the afterlife, or they may have been seen as eternal companions.
Information
Title
Pair of wrestlers
Dates
200 BCE–200 CE
Medium
Ceramic
Dimensions
9.2 × 7.8 × 7.3 cm (3 5/8 × 3 1/16 × 2 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900
Object Number
y1968-63
Place Made
North America, Mexico, Jalisco, West Mexico
Culture
Period
Materials
Subject
Alice (neé Arvine) Heeramaneck (1910-1993) and Nasli Heeramaneck (1902-1971), New York, NY; purchased by J. Lionberger Davis (1878 - 1973), Princeton, NJ; gift to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1968.
