Yucatán and Petén lowlands (Mexico) Island of Jaina (Maya) Whistle in the Form of a Dignitary A.D. 600-900 Ceramic and pigment 7-1/2 inches high, 3-1/4 inches wide, 2 inches deep The John R. Van Derlip Fund 47.2.5

The Jaina figurines were principally made in molds that formed the entire front surface. While the figurine was in the mold, the artist added the back by welding a thin sheet of clay by hand to the front, leaving the interior hollow. Then the back was PERFORATED in one or more places to make a whistle, or pellets of clay were placed inside to make a rattle.

In the finest figurines, much of the clay was hand modeled, or the face was formed in a mold, embellished by the artist, and the body and headdress added by hand. The maker of this figure shaped the delicate facial features and hairdo by hand and rolled small pieces of clay between the fingers to form the arms and headdress. Thin, flat sheets of clay were applied to make the skirt and apron. Even the toes were ARTICULATED. Hand-modeled pieces represent the APEX of Jaina art; they can be compared in quality to figurines of Classical Greece or to early clay sculptures of Egypt and China. They gave artists the freedom to develop their own forms.

After modeling, the figurine was covered with a layer of white SLIP, a coat of clay mixed with enough water to make it liquid. When fired, the fine clay turned light tan or pink. After firing, it was painted with brilliant colors. The dignitary contains remnants of one of the most popular colors, a distinctive "Maya blue" PIGMENT that remains on many of the pieces.3

Notes

3. Anda and Eckholm, "Clay Sculpture from Jaina," p. 315.

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