Mississippian Culture clay art of 1261 A.D. from Tennessee (Explored))
Image by Don Ski
Wow, wow, WOW!! Doesn’t this rare pre-Columbian figurine from Tennessee reach out to you through time, and from another world? It did for me. This clay figurine is so small (maybe 2 inches tall, if that) that it is very easy to pass over.
I see a hemline of a skirt. I like how the ancient artist has the figurine sitting with her legs to the side, and her hands set demurely on her lap. I also like those wide-open parallelogram eyes, the high cheekbones, and that straight mouth.
Is this a Native American woman sitting down, listening intently?
A plaque next to this piece states that this Mississippian Culture figurine was found near Nashville, Tennessee and radiocarbon-dated to 1261 A.D.. Created nearly two centuries before Christopher Columbus was born, the figurine is on display at the McClung Museum in Knoxville, Tennessee.
