Description:

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A glossy, red-slipped ceramic figure of a hunchbacked male. He sits with his knees up and his arms leaning against his knees. He has small, almond-shaped eyes and a long, prominent nose. He is unclothed and has almost no decoration aside from painted hair and some white lines that may indicate a skirt and bracelets. Some scholars attribute the hunched back in West Mexican shaft tomb culture to a particular form of tuberculosis; his facial expression suggests a grimace of pain. Size: 2.3" W x 5.4" H (5.8 cm x 13.7 cm)

Figures like this one would have been placed into the tombs dug in shafts beneath Nayarit households where family members were periodically interred; archaeologists believe that they were placed around the edges of the tomb facing inward, as if in conversation with the dead.

Provenance: private Denver, Colorado, USA collection; ex Sidney Newman collection, Beverly Hills, California, USA, actively collected in 1960s to 1970s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#130916

  • Condition: Intact, with some wear to pigment, especially around the head. Old collection number is written on the underside and there are some small adhesives on the feet.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

March 1, 2018 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 24.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000