Portraits of the Ancient Americas Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago Vessel in the Form of a Seated Ruler with a Pampas Cat, ceramic and pigment, 250/550 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Bowl Depicting a Mask (Possibly a Katchina), above an Abstract Bighorn-Sheep Head, ceramic and pigment, 1300/1400 CE, Four Mile Polychrome, White Mountain Redware; Cibola region, east-central Arizona, United States Figure of a Woman in Ceremonial Dress, ceramic, 700/900 CE, possibly Totonac, Nopiloa; Veracruz, south-central Gulf Coast, Mexico Seated Joined Couple, ceramic and pigment, 200 BCE/300 CE, Nayarit; Nayarit, Mexico Miniature Mask, wood, gold foil, shell, pigment, and resin, 1300/1400 CE, possibly Mixtec; possibly northern Oaxaca, Mexico Standing Figurine with Missing Leg, jade, 800/400 BCE, Olmec; Guerrero, Mexico Vessel Depicting a Mythological Scene, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Petén region, Guatemala Portrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Head Fragments from Large Ceremonial Jars, ceramic and pigment, 700/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; Pacheco, south coast, Peru Hieroglyphic Panel, limestone, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Usumacinta River area, Mexico or Guatemala Storyteller Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100/800 CE, Jalisco; Ameca Valley, Jalisco, Mexico Vase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala Bowl Depicting a Hero-Hunter with a Heron Headdress, Bow, and Arrows, along with a Rabbit Hunter; ceramic and pigment (Classic Mimbres Black-on-white); Mimbres branch of the Mogollon; New Mexico, United States Mosaic Disk with a Mythological and Historical Scene, turquoise, shell, and sandstone, 1400/1500 CE, Mixtec; Northern Oaxaca, Mexico Mask from an Incense Burner Portraying the Old Deity of Fire, ceramic and pigment, 450/750 CE, Teotihuacan; Teotihuacan, Mexico Ballcourt Panel, limestone, 700/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; possibly La Corona, Usumacinta River area, Guatemala Figurine of an Aristocratic Lady, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico Vessel of the Dancing Lords, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala Ritual Impersonator of the Deity Xipe Totec, ceramic and pigment, 1450/1500 CE, Aztec; possibly central Veracruz, Mexico Female Figurine, ceramic and pigment, 500/400 BCE, Tlatilco; Tlatilco, Valley of Mexico, Mexico Vessels, ceramic and pigment, Late Classic Maya, Mexico or Guatemala Stela, limestone, 702 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Calakmul, Campeche or Quintana Roo, Mexico Jar in the Form of a Standing Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Female Effigy, terracotta and pigmented slip, 200/100 BCE, Chupícuaro; Guanajuato or Michoacán, Mexico Standing Male Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico Pendant in the Form of a Figure, shell stone, silver, copper, and cotton, 400/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; coastal Peru or highland Bolivia Carved Vessel Depicting a Lord Wearing a Water-Lily Headdress, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Chocholá; Yucatán or Campeche, Mexico Portrait Vessel of a Young Man with a Scarred Lip, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Bowl Depicting a Harvest Dance, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru Portrait Vessel of a Man with a Cleft Lip and Tattoos, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Pedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 1100/1300 CE, Coclé; possibly La Peña, Veraguas province, Panama Vessel Depicting a Prisoner with Avian Captors, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Vessel in the Form of a Llama, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, Peru Portrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Rattle in the Form of a Mythological Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico Vessel in the Form of a Royal Messenger, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Figure of a Standing Warrior, ceramic with pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico Vessel in the Form of a Courtly Musician, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru Vessel in the Form of a Warrior, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, north coast, Peru Drinking Cup (Kero) with an Abstracted Masked Figure, ceramic and pigment, 600/1000 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari, Bolivia or Peru Bowl Depicting a Swarm of Mice, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru Double Pendant in the Form of a Mythical Caiman, gold with plaster restoration of boar tusks, 800/1200 CE, Coclé; Coclé province, Panama Vase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala Mantle (detail), camelid wool, 100 BCE/200 CE, Paracas Necropolis; Paracas peninsula, south coast, Peru Double-Spouted Vessel Depicting Ritual Masks, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru Pedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 700/1100 CE, Coclé; possibly Los Santos province, Panama Jar in the Form of a Seated Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru All photos by Renée DeVoe Mertz
Portraits of the Asian Art Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), gilt copper alloy, late 14th century, Yuan/early Ming dynasty, China Gonzaze Myō-ō, Nakabayashi Gennai, wood with polychromy, 1680 [Edo period], Japan Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China Armored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China Head of a Bodhisattva, stucco with traces of pigment, 4th/6th century, Pakistan or Afghanistan, Gandharan region Vajrasattva Seated on Lotus Flower with Hands Grasping a Thunderbolt (Vajra) and Bell (Ghanta) with Thunderbolt Handle, gilt copper alloy, Tang dynasty, late 8th/early 9th century, China Detail of saddle on “Camel with Rider,” earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China Plaque with Demonic Mask, Late Neolithic period, Longshan culture or Shang dynasty, 2nd millenium BCE Pensive Bodhisattva, gray schist, 2nd/3rd century, Pakistan, Gandharan region Head of a Buddhist Deity, Possibly Prajnaparamita, sandstone, Angkor period, 13th century, Cambodia Shūkongōjin, wood with traces of polychromy, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan Female Musician, earthenware with polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China Armored Guardian (Wushiyong), earthenware with polychrome pigments and gilding, Tang dynasty, late 7th/early 8th century, China Ding (tripod food caldron) with tao-tie design, bronze, Shang dynasty, 11th century BCE, China “Running in Advance” Mask (Shinshōtoku), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], Japan Equestrienne, earthenware with traces of polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, 2nd quarter of 8th century, China Four-Armed Sarasvati, Goddess of Learning, Seated in Lotus Position (Padmasana), chloritic schist, Hoyasala period, 13th century; India, Karnataka, Mysore region Votive Plaque with God Vishnu; gilt bronze with ivory, semiprecious stones, crystal, and glass; c. 19th century; Nepal, Kathmandu Valley Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, sandstone, Angkor period, 12th/13th century, Cambodia Fudō Myō-ō, wood with polychromy and gilt-bronze accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan Groom, earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China Demon Mask (Tsuina-men), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], Japan Entertainer (Tomb Figure), buff earthenware with pigment, Northern Dynasties, 6th century, China Lakshmana, from Panel with Lakshmana and Hanuman, the Monkey God, terracotta, Gupta period, 4th/5th century; India, Uttar Pradesh Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China Sōgyō Hachiman, wood with traces of white pigment, Heian period, 10th century, Japan Seitaka Dōji, wood with traces of polychromy, 15th century [Muromachi period], Japan Snake Goddess Manasa, basalt, 11th century, Bangladesh or Eastern India Zenzai Dōji, wood with glass and polychromy and metal accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan Twenty-Armed Dancing God Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles, buff sandstone, 11th century, India (Madhya Pradesh) Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China Bodhisattva, limestone with traces of polychromy, Tang dynasty, 8th century, China Armored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China Weight in the form of nested birds, gilt bronze, Tang dynasty (618-907), China All photos by Renée DeVoe Mertz