Figure of a Warrior
The elite status of this warrior, who holds a dartthrower, darts, and a shield, is revealed by the gold from which he is made as well as his jewelry and sandals. Military accomplishment was prized by the Aztecs, whose imperial expansion was fueled by ambition as well as their belief that they were chosen to uphold cosmic order through war. The purpose of the chest cavity is unclear; the figurine may have been worn as a pendant.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.112 m, width 0.061 m
- Department
- Art of the Americas
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Subject Matter
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War and Military Both · 99%
The museum identifies the subject as a warrior holding a dartthrower, darts, and a shield; these weapons and the shield are clearly visible in the image.
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Human Figure Both · 99%
The object is a fully modeled standing human figure with a head, torso, arms, and legs.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 99%
The figure has an elaborate headdress, earrings, necklaces, hanging ornaments, decorated garments, sandals, weapons, and a shield, producing a densely ornamented appearance.
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Metallic Visual · 96%
The surface catches light like metal, with bright reflective areas contrasted by darker recessed and discolored areas.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The work is a small three-dimensional cast metal figure; the catalog classifies it as metalwork and specifies a cast alloy medium.
Geographic Regions
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Mexican Art Metadata · 90%
The catalog gives the place of origin as Central Mexico, possibly Tetzcoco.
Materials
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Gold Metadata · 90%
The catalog identifies the medium as a cast gold-silver-copper alloy and describes the figure as made of gold; the image shows a reflective yellow-gold surface, though the material is not pure gold.
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Metal Metadata · 99%
The catalog identifies the medium as a cast gold-silver-copper alloy and classifies the work as metalwork.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Pre-Columbian Art Metadata · 96%
The catalog places the object in Central Mexico and identifies it with the Aztec Post-Classic Period, within the broader category of pre-Columbian art.
Tableware, Vessels, and Objects
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Figurine Both · 97%
The museum description refers to the object as a figurine, and the image shows a compact representation of a single person.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Figure of a Warrior. Cleveland Museum of Art.