Dumbarton Oaks birthing figure
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The Dumbarton Oaks birthing figure is a possibly Aztec scapolite figurine of a woman giving childbirth in a squatting position. Housed in the Dumbarton Oaks collection, United States, the figurine is considered by several scholars to be a pre-Columbian artwork, while others believe it was made in modern times, possibly in the 19th century.[1] The figurine measures 20.2 cm in height.
Birthing figures, while common in Colonial Mexican manuscripts, are rare in Aztec three-dimensional art. Women, however, occupied a prominent position in the Aztec mythology.
Early mentions of the figurine come from Ernest-Théodore Hamy, who first saw it in a Paris antique store.[2] The figurine was later bought by French obstetrician and collector Alban Ribemont-Dessaignes.[2] In 1947, the figure was acquired by Robert Woods Bliss, the founder of Dumbarton Oaks.[2]