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Virginia Commonwealth University

Ancient West Mexican Sculpture: A Formal and Stylistic Analysis of Eleven Figures in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) has in its collection eleven ancient West Mexican ceramic sculptures. Given that the VMFA's West Mexican Ceramic figure collection has not been included in any extensive study, this thesis serves to provide a critical analysis of these figures through a formal and stylistic approach. These analyses are preceded by a brief history of the West Mexican cultures and highlight the artistic similarities and differences between each region. The primary regions under discussion are Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco which correspond to modern geopolitical boundaries. Primary sources for these discussions are the figures themselves, while various published catalogues serve as comparative sources. Where applicable, iconographical theories are introduced and discussed in conjunction with the formal and stylistic analysis.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Art History
Year dc:date.available
2006

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Pack, Crista Anne
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Dr. James Farmer

Subjects

dc:subject × 6

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • © The Author

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-2337

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Commonwealth University
Base URL
scholarscompass.vcu.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Pack, Crista Anne. Ancient West Mexican Sculpture: A Formal and Stylistic Analysis of Eleven Figures in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Thesis thesis, 2006. https://doi.org/10.25772/BA1T-M308