These two figures, crafted in beige clay of excellent quality, are a fine example of the sculptures produced in Veracruz in the classical period by artists as skilful as they were diligent, capable of capturing and rendering human expression through portraits of great truth. Their talent is undeniable in this work's finesse, realism, size and state of preservation. The effigies bequeathed to us by these outstanding ceramists, highly varied in identity, attire and posture, offer a faithful picture of daily life in Mesoamerica in the first century AD. Mainly representing

members of the elite (priests, warriors, shamans), they often

• but not always
• wear numerous

accessories, modeled by hand and added to the body using the pastillage technique. Generally speaking, the style is naturalistic, with beautiful proportions and expressive faces. Gestures are frozen without detracting from the liveliness of these works, which the artist and art historian Miguel Covarubbias describes as "powerful and expressive, endowed with unprecedented charm and sensitivity".