Emaciated Crouching Figure
Unknown Artist
c. 100 BCE–300 CE
Medium
earthenware with burnished red slip
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.14,"width":0.089,"depth":0.089}}
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener
Accession Number
1990.261
About this artwork
The protruding ribs and staring eyes of this melancholy figure may show the effects of a ritual fast, rather than famine. Fasting purified an individual in preparation for religious rites and may have enhanced the search for supernatural visions.