Description
The figure projecting from the front of a cylindrical container wears a mouth mask perhaps shaped as a serpent’s fanged upper jaw. It probably served in a tomb as a companion to a larger, more complex figural urn. Though termed "urns," these ceramics do not contain the cremated ashes of the dead but usually are found empty.
Provenance
(Stendahl Art Galleries, Los Angeles, CA, 1973, sold to James C. and Florence C. Gruener) (?-1973); James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1973-1990); The Cleveland Museum of Art (1990)
Accession Number
1990.277
Medium
earthenware
Dimensions
Overall: 26.1 x 16.3 x 16.3 cm (10 1/4 x 6 7/16 x 6 7/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener