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  3. Storyteller Figure
Storyteller Figure, Jalisco, 100–800 CE
JJalisco

Storyteller Figure

100–800 CE · Sculpture

May one see it?

Yes, receiving visitors

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Room161

On public display.

Checked
3 days ago
In this state since
Sep 28, 2026
Source
The museum
On the mapMuseum page

About the sculpture

Ceramic figures in energetic poses and with lively expressions were made in the Ameca Valley, Jalisco. Like other West Mexican works of art, they were intended as offerings in tombs. The range of subjects depicted by these sculptures includes gesturing individuals whose hand positions communicated well-established meanings. This sign language has yet to be described and interpreted, but such excited figures may well be recounting legends or myths.

Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0

Particulars

Accession number
1989.83

What it shows

PeopleAncestorsGesturalLeaders

In the catalog

SculptureTerracotta and ceramicsJaliscoAmeca-zacoalcoMesoamericanPre-ColumbianAmericasWest mexicoAmecaArts of the AmericasJalisco state

Comings and goings

  1. On view · Gallery 161

    Art Institute of Chicago · Sep 28, 2026 — now · Verified

  2. Was on view · Gallery 136

    Art Institute of Chicago · Aug 19, 2026 — Sep 28, 2026 · Verified

Sources

  • Art Institute of Chicago
  • Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0

More by Jalisco

All works
Standing Male Figure Holding a Ball, Jalisco, 100 BCE–300 CE

Standing Male Figure Holding a Ball

100 BCE–300 CE · Not on view · Art Institute of Chicago

Seated Female Figurine with Elongated Head, Jalisco, 300 BCE–300 CE

Seated Female Figurine with Elongated Head

300 BCE–300 CE · Not on view · Art Institute of Chicago

Standing Figure of a Mother and Child, Jalisco, 100 BCE–250 CE

Standing Figure of a Mother and Child

100 BCE–250 CE · Not on view · Art Institute of Chicago

Seated Figure with an Elongated Head and Chin Placed on Knee, Jalisco, 300 BCE–300 CE

Seated Figure with an Elongated Head and Chin Placed on Knee

300 BCE–300 CE · Not on view · Art Institute of Chicago

Seated Maternity Figure, Jalisco, 100 BCE–300 CE

Seated Maternity Figure

100 BCE–300 CE · Not on view · Art Institute of Chicago

Neighbors at Art Institute of Chicago

Museum page
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A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884, Georges Seurat, 1884–86, border added 1888–89

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Paris Street; Rainy Day, Gustave Caillebotte, 1877

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Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877

Two Sisters (On the Terrace), Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1881

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Two Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881

The Basket of Apples, Paul Cézanne, c. 1893

Paul Cézanne

The Basket of Apples, c. 1893

Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), Claude Monet, 1890–91

Claude Monet

Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), 1890–91

American Gothic, Grant Wood, 1930

Grant Wood

American Gothic, 1930

Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, 1942

Edward Hopper

Nighthawks, 1942