Unknown Maker (Aztec, Central Valley Mexico)

The Aztec goddess of maize, Chicomecoatl, is presented alongside European works of the same historical period to foster dialogue about the range of artistic production during the 14th-16th centuries across the globe. Artists use various visual, material, and iconographical means to identify, revere, and celebrate religious figures. Here, the Nahuati-speaking people of central Mexico incorporate visual signifiers of Chicomecoatl; she wears a quadrangular headdress adorned with rosettes and holds rattles that suggest fertility. Similarly, Renaissance artists use symbols often drawn from an event in a saint's life and specific colors and gestures to depict Jesus, Mary, and other Christian figures.

Lowe Art Museum

Gift of the Katzenstein, 56.003.000