Female Figurine with Topknot
1000–300 B.C.
Earthenware
8.9 × 7 cm (3.5 × 2.8 in)
SEE IT IN PERSON
● On view now — Gallery 102
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026
Discussion
FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
Jōmon figurines vary greatly in size, manufacture, and refinement, and they are often found broken, as if they have been thrown away. Noticeable in this figurine are the elaborate hairstyle and the patterns on the shoulders. The hairstyle along with the appearance of breasts would indicate that the figurine is meant to represent a female figure. Such figures are thought to have been used as part of rituals relating to childbirth, though the nature of those rituals and why the figures are often found broken is unknown.
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