Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Veracruz culture, also known as Totonac (Totonaca), Remojadas, ca. 300 to 600 CE. A charming pottery standing "Sonriente" male figure from the Veracruz region of Gulf Coast Mexico. Sonrientes, or "smiling faces", figures feature wide, smiling, childlike faces, often with teeth showing. This figure also wears a large necklace with a phallic pendant, a loincloth with a decorative relief, and a band around its chest. Atop its head is an elaborate headdress with glyph-like geometric symbols. The headdress features three openings, as does the palm of one hand; the entire figure was made to be played like an ocarina! Size: 12.5" W x 17.35" H (31.8 cm x 44.1 cm)

Smiling faces are very rare in Mesoamerican art, but in Remojadas and the surrounding area, there are thousands of these Sonrientes figures, leading to a mystery for archaeologists. Some have suggested that the smiles are the result of consuming the alcoholic beverage pulque, or taking hallucinogenic drugs; others see them as representing performers.

Provenance: ex-private collection of the late Father Bader, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired prior to 2000

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#154404

  • Condition: Repaired from about ten pieces with some losses along the repair lines. No restoration or overpainting along repairs. Great preservation of details.

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May 7, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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