Embracing couple

7th–9th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Ceramic figurines provided artists with opportunities to depict lively, sometimes sexually suggestive mythical episodes. Women were depicted individually or interacting with others, including lecherous old men. The man lifting the skirt of a young woman here is both older and smaller than she, features intended to make his amorous approaches appear pathetic and humorous.

A mouthpiece in the back turns these hollow figurines into whistles. Their pigments include Maya blue, obtained through the chemical combination of indigo with a special kind of clay.


Pareja abrazada
México
Siglo VII al IX
Cerámica, pigmento

Las figurillas de cerámica permitían representar episodios míticos muy vívidos, que a veces tienen connotaciones sexuales. Las mujeres se representaban solas o interactuando con otros, incluyendo ancianos lujuriosos. El hombre que alza la falda de la joven es más chico y más viejo que ella; con lo que el encuentro resulta patético y humorístico a la vez.

La boquilla de la parte trasera de estas piezas, huecas por dentro, las convierte en silbatos. Los pigmentos incluyen el azul maya, el cual se obtiene combinando añil con un tipo de arcilla especial.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Embracing couple
  • Date: 7th–9th century
  • Geography: Mexico
  • Culture: Maya
  • Medium: Ceramic, pigment
  • Dimensions: H. 9 7/8 × W. 3 3/4 × D. 4 1/4 in. (25.1 × 9.5 × 10.8 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Katherine Margaret Kay Bequest Fund and New Endowment Fund
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
Embracing couple - Maya - The Metropolitan Museum of Art