Portraits of the Ancient Americas Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago

Vessel in the Form of a Seated Ruler with a Pampas Cat, ceramic and pigment, 250/550 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru 

 Bowl Depicting a Mask (Possibly a Katchina), above an Abstract Bighorn-Sheep Head, ceramic and pigment, 1300/1400 CE, Four Mile Polychrome, White Mountain Redware; Cibola region, east-central Arizona, United States 

Figure of a Woman in Ceremonial Dress, ceramic, 700/900 CE, possibly Totonac, Nopiloa; Veracruz, south-central Gulf Coast, Mexico

Seated Joined Couple, ceramic and pigment, 200 BCE/300 CE, Nayarit; Nayarit, Mexico

 Miniature Mask, wood, gold foil, shell, pigment, and resin, 1300/1400 CE, possibly Mixtec; possibly northern Oaxaca, Mexico

 Standing Figurine with Missing Leg, jade, 800/400 BCE, Olmec; Guerrero, Mexico

Vessel Depicting a Mythological Scene, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Petén region, Guatemala 

 Portrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru

 Head Fragments from Large Ceremonial Jars, ceramic and pigment, 700/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; Pacheco, south coast, Peru

Hieroglyphic Panel, limestone, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Usumacinta River area, Mexico or Guatemala

Storyteller Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100/800 CE, Jalisco; Ameca Valley, Jalisco, Mexico

Vase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala

Bowl Depicting a Hero-Hunter with a Heron Headdress, Bow, and Arrows, along with a Rabbit Hunter; ceramic and pigment (Classic Mimbres Black-on-white); Mimbres branch of the Mogollon; New Mexico, United States

 Mosaic Disk with a Mythological and Historical Scene, turquoise, shell, and sandstone, 1400/1500 CE, Mixtec; Northern Oaxaca, Mexico

Mask from an Incense Burner Portraying the Old Deity of Fire, ceramic and pigment, 450/750 CE, Teotihuacan; Teotihuacan, Mexico

Ballcourt Panel, limestone, 700/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; possibly La Corona, Usumacinta River area, Guatemala

Figurine of an Aristocratic Lady, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico

Vessel of the Dancing Lords, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala

 Ritual Impersonator of the Deity Xipe Totec, ceramic and pigment, 1450/1500 CE, Aztec; possibly central Veracruz, Mexico

Female Figurine, ceramic and pigment, 500/400 BCE, Tlatilco; Tlatilco, Valley of Mexico, Mexico

Vessels, ceramic and pigment, Late Classic Maya, Mexico or Guatemala

Stela, limestone, 702 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Calakmul, Campeche or Quintana Roo, Mexico

 Jar in the Form of a Standing Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru

Female Effigy, terracotta and pigmented slip, 200/100 BCE, Chupícuaro; Guanajuato or Michoacán, Mexico

Standing Male Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico

 Pendant in the Form of a Figure, shell stone, silver, copper, and cotton, 400/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; coastal Peru or highland Bolivia

Carved Vessel Depicting a Lord Wearing a Water-Lily Headdress, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Chocholá; Yucatán or Campeche, Mexico

 Portrait Vessel of a Young Man with a Scarred Lip, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru

 Bowl Depicting a Harvest Dance, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru

Portrait Vessel of a Man with a Cleft Lip and Tattoos, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru 

 Pedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 1100/1300 CE, Coclé; possibly La Peña, Veraguas province, Panama

 Vessel Depicting a Prisoner with Avian Captors, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru

 Vessel in the Form of a Llama, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, Peru

 Portrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru

Rattle in the Form of a Mythological Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico

 Vessel in the Form of a Royal Messenger, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru

Figure of a Standing Warrior, ceramic with pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico

 Vessel in the Form of a Courtly Musician, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru 

 Vessel in the Form of a Warrior, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, north coast, Peru

 Drinking Cup (Kero) with an Abstracted Masked Figure, ceramic and pigment, 600/1000 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari, Bolivia or Peru

 Bowl Depicting a Swarm of Mice, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru

 Double Pendant in the Form of a Mythical Caiman, gold with plaster restoration of boar tusks, 800/1200 CE, Coclé; Coclé province, Panama

Vase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala

Mantle (detail), camelid wool, 100 BCE/200 CE, Paracas Necropolis; Paracas peninsula, south coast, Peru

Double-Spouted Vessel Depicting Ritual Masks, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru 

 Pedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 700/1100 CE, Coclé; possibly Los Santos province, Panama

 Jar in the Form of a Seated Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru

All photos by author

Portraits of the Asian Art Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago

Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), gilt copper alloy, late 14th century, Yuan/early Ming dynasty, China 

Gonzaze Myō-ō, Nakabayashi Gennai, wood with polychromy, 1680 [Edo period], Japan 

Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China

Armored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China

Head of a Bodhisattva, stucco with traces of pigment, 4th/6th century, Pakistan or Afghanistan, Gandharan region

Vajrasattva Seated on Lotus Flower with Hands Grasping a Thunderbolt (Vajra) and Bell (Ghanta) with Thunderbolt Handle, gilt copper alloy, Tang dynasty, late 8th/early 9th century, China

Detail of saddle on "Camel with Rider," earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China

Plaque with Demonic Mask, Late Neolithic period, Longshan culture or Shang dynasty, 2nd millenium BCE

Pensive Bodhisattva, gray schist, 2nd/3rd century, Pakistan, Gandharan region

Head of a Buddhist Deity, Possibly Prajnaparamita, sandstone, Angkor period, 13th century, Cambodia

Shūkongōjin, wood with traces of polychromy, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan

Female Musician, earthenware with polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China

Armored Guardian (Wushiyong), earthenware with polychrome pigments and gilding, Tang dynasty, late 7th/early 8th century, China

Ding (tripod food caldron) with tao-tie design, bronze, Shang dynasty, 11th century BCE, China

"Running in Advance" Mask (Shinshōtoku), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], Japan

Equestrienne, earthenware with traces of polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, 2nd quarter of 8th century, China



Four-Armed Sarasvati, Goddess of Learning, Seated in Lotus Position (Padmasana), chloritic schist, Hoyasala period, 13th century; India, Karnataka, Mysore region

 Votive Plaque with God Vishnu; gilt bronze with ivory, semiprecious stones, crystal, and glass; c. 19th century; Nepal, Kathmandu Valley

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, sandstone, Angkor period, 12th/13th century, Cambodia

Fudō Myō-ō, wood with polychromy and gilt-bronze accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan

Groom, earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China

Demon Mask (Tsuina-men), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], Japan

 Entertainer (Tomb Figure), buff earthenware with pigment, Northern Dynasties, 6th century, China

Lakshmana, from Panel with Lakshmana and Hanuman, the Monkey God, terracotta, Gupta period, 4th/5th century; India, Uttar Pradesh

 Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China

Sōgyō Hachiman, wood with traces of white pigment, Heian period, 10th century, Japan 

 Seitaka Dōji, wood with traces of polychromy, 15th century [Muromachi period], Japan

 Snake Goddess Manasa, basalt, 11th century, Bangladesh or Eastern India

 Zenzai Dōji, wood with glass and polychromy and metal accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan

Twenty-Armed Dancing God Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles, buff sandstone, 11th century, India (Madhya Pradesh)

Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China

Bodhisattva, limestone with traces of polychromy, Tang dynasty, 8th century, China

 Armored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China 

Weight in the form of nested birds, gilt bronze, Tang dynasty (618-907), China

All photos by author.