Seated Figure 700–1600 Late Quimbaya This figure shows a person in a seated pose. It is primarily made of fired clay and was produced by people living in the middle Cauca River Valley and parts of the Central Cordillera of Colombia, often referred to as the "Quimbaya" region. The eyes and mouth consist of narrow horizontal linear incisions, while the nose is rounded and projects outward. A metal ring has been threaded through the nostrils. The figure’s arms are bent and turn inward, with the hands resting on the knees, which are bent. There are seven circular perforations along the top of

Seated Figure 700–1600 Late Quimbaya This figure shows a person in a seated pose. It is primarily made of fired clay and was produced by people living in the middle Cauca River Valley and parts of the Central Cordillera of Colombia, often referred to as the "Quimbaya" region. The eyes and mouth consist of narrow horizontal linear incisions, while the nose is rounded and projects outward. A metal ring has been threaded through the nostrils. The figure’s arms are bent and turn inward, with the hands resting on the knees, which are bent. There are seven circular perforations along the top of the figure’s head, while there are four across the forehead, two above the chest, two more at the waist, and one on the bottom of the figure. With the exceptions of those on the top of the head and the bottom of the figure, all the perforations extend entirely through the figure. There are four recessed bands or ligatures on the figure’s arms, likely indicative of ornaments, two closer to the shoulders and two at the wrists. These bands do not extend around the entire arm. Interestingly, the figure is top-heavy and needs support in order to sit upright, raising questions over how it was displayed and used in the past. To make this figure, potters prepared two slabs of clay to form the head and main body together. Such slabs can be made by placing a lump of clay on a flat surface and rolling it with a tool or shaping it with the hands. The artists then joined the slabs, pressing their ends together and leaving a space in between to create the figure’s hollow interior. The eyes and mouth were represented by using a sharp and narrow tool to make long, deep slits in the clay. The neck was indicated by making a horizontal groove under the head. They formed the arms and legs by coiling clay—rolling out the clay or forming the coil with their hands—and joining these coils together. The nose and male genitalia were made directly by shaping clay. All of these components w

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