Rattle in the Form of a Mythological Figure
Maya
650–800
Medium
Ceramic and pigment
Dimensions
H.: 18.4 cm (7 1/4 in.)
Classification
earthenware
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
35320
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Many of the hollow interiors of mold-made Jaina figurines were transformed into rattles or whistles. As musical instruments, they may have been played during the funerary ceremonies of the deceased whom they accompanied into the afterlife.