Lot 175
**First Time At Auction**
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A small figural jar with a wonderfully expressive face. The jar opens at the top of the figure's back and his wide, flat feet form its two legs; from the front his head and arms rise. His eyes are bugging outward, his hands pressed to his ears - perhaps this small jar was made to hold some kind of drugs, and the figure depicted is showing the classic signs of drug use in Mesoamerica, specifically the huge eyes. Size: 2.4" L x 2" W x 2.8" H (6.1 cm x 5.1 cm x 7.1 cm)
Colima, located on Mexico's southwestern coast, was during this time part of the shaft tomb culture, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In this culture, the dead were buried down shafts -- 3 to 20 meters deep -- that were dug vertically or near vertically through the volcanic tuff that makes up the geology of the region. The base of the shaft would open into one or more horizontal chambers with a low ceiling. These shafts were almost always dug beneath a dwelling, probably a family home, and seem to have been used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. Pottery figures like this one were placed in the tombs, and some see them as a mediator between the living and the dead.
Provenance: Ex-Triffo Collection, acquired in the 1970s
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#119635
- Condition: Hands and arms reattached.
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| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
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| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |