When spiritual intervention cannot avert death, art is often used to assist in a variety of ways. Some objects are intended to protect the relics of the deceased, while others serve as memorials for the dead. Still others were made as burial goods to accompany the deceased in the passage to the afterlife. In almost all the cultures discussed in this section of the exhibition, death is viewed as a transition to the next world, and art is often integral to this final transformation.
Displayed in this case are ancient tomb sculptures from Mexico and a contemporary Mexican tree of death that honors the memories of deceased loved ones. Adjacent displays feature works from Gabon in Central Africa and from Papua New Guinea; all of these played important roles in mourning and funerary rites.
Object Name: El Arbol de la Muerte: Maquilando Mujeres (The Tree of Death: Factory Women)
Artist: Veronica Castillo Hernández (b. 1967, Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico; lives and works in San Antonio, Texas, United States)
Place of Origin: San Antonio, Texas, United States
Date/Era: 2003
Dimensions: H: 87.0 cm, W: 70.0 cm, D: 29.0 cm (H: 34.3 in, W: 27.6 in, D: 11.4 in)
Medium/Materials: Ceramic, paint, wire
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Thomas Wortham.
Accession Number: X2004.20.1
Not Currently On View in Intersections
Object Name: Janus reliquary guardian figure (mbulu-ngulu)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Kota peoples
Place of Origin: Gabon
Date/Era: 18th-19th century
Medium/Materials: Wood, copper alloy, iron
Dimensions: H: 67.5 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X65.3800
Figure
New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
19th-early 20th century
Wood, pigment, plant fiber, shell
X65.4355; Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Mask
New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
19th-early 20th century
Wood, pigment, plant fiber, shells, cotton cloth
X65.4360; Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Object Name: Bwiti association mask
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Ndzebi or Sango peoples
Place of Origin: Bend of the Ogowe River, Gabon
Date/Era: 19th to early 20th century
Medium/Materials: Wood, plant fiber, cotton string, metal, glass beads, paint
Dimensions: H: 53cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X65.5270
Figure
Northern New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
19th-early 20th century; collected before 1933
Wood, pigment, shell, plant fiber
X65.5610; Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Male figure
Colima, West Mexico
Protoclassic, 200 B.C.E.-400 C.E.
Ceramic
H: 35.5 cm, W: 37.5 cm, D: 20.5 cm (H: 13.9 in, W: 14.8 in, D: 8.1 in)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Skip Brittenham and Mr. and Mrs. Ken Ziffren. X81.246
Object Name: Acrobat figure
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Colima
Place of Origin: West Mexico
Date/Era: Protoclassic, 200 B.C.E. – 400 C.E.
Medium/Materials: Ceramic
Dimensions: H: 20.0 cm, W: 35.0 cm, D: 16.0 cm (H: 7.8 in, W: 13.8 in, D: 6.3 in)
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Skip Brittenham and Mr. and Mrs. Ken Ziffren.
Accession Number: X81.247
Figure with protuberant back
Colima, West Mexico
Protoclassic, 200 B.C.E.-400 C.E.
Ceramic
H: 28.9 cm, W: 19.5 cm, D: 17.2 cm (H: 11.4 in, W: 7.7 in, D: 6.8 in)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Skip Brittenham and Mr. and Mrs. Ken Ziffren. X81.250
Object Name: Female figure jar
Artist: Unknown
Cultural Group: Colima
Place of Origin: West Mexico
Date: Protoclassic, 200 B.C.E. – 400 C.E.
Materials Used: Ceramic
Dimensions: H: 33.0 cm, W: 26.6 cm, D: 18.0 cm (H: 12.9 in, W: 10.5 in, D: 7.1 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Skip Brittenham and Mr. and Mrs. Ken Ziffren. X81.269
Figure
Malagan
New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
19th-early 20th century
Wood, pigment, plant fiber, shell, resin
H: 91.5 cm, W: 26.0 cm, D: 26.0 cm (H: 36.0 in, W: 10.2 in, D: 10.2 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dorothy M. Cordry in memory of Donald B. Cordry. X84.166
Mask
Malagan
New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
19th-early 20th century
Wood, pigment, shell, plant fiber, cotton cloth
W: 23.0 cm, H: 86.0 cm, D: 36.0 cm (W: 9.1 in, H: 33.9 in, D: 14.2 in)
Gift of Patricia B. Altman. X87.630
Figure, dog
Colima, West Mexico
Protoclassic, 200 B.C.E.-400 C.E.
Ceramic
H: 19.1 cm, L: 32.4 cm (H: 7.5 in, L: 12.8 in)
Bequest of Mary Stansbury Ruiz. X88.513