Lot 44
**Originally listed for $1000.
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Jalisco, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A huge and impressive shaft tomb figure of a kneeling woman. She wears a skirt and little else aside from two small round earrings and a nose ring. Size: 6.8" L x 9.75" W x 16" H (17.3 cm x 24.8 cm x 40.6 cm)
Her foreshortened arms are in interesting positions, one hand extended outward with incredible detail on the fingers; the other rests behind her ear on her neck. Her face has an incredible level of detail, with more naturalistic features than many similar pottery figures. She wears something over her head that covers and smooths her hair. Some pigment remains, giving her eyes painted details of pupils; she has a thin, narrow nose and a slightly opened mouth full of even, perfect teeth. Looking at this face, unlike many more abstract examples from Jalisco, you can imagine that it is modeled on a real woman who lived two thousand years ago. West Mexican shaft tomb figures like this one derive their names from the central architectural feature that we know of from this culture. These people would build generally rectangular vertical shafts down from the ground level down to narrow horizontal tunnels that led to one or more vaulted or rounded burial chambers. The geomorphology in the area means that these chambers are dug out of tepetate, a type of volcanic tuff material, which give the chambers a rough-edged look. Although the dimensions of the chambers vary considerably - some only large enough to hold a single burial and its offerings, others seem designed to hold entire lineages - the placement of burial goods like this hollow figure was very similar. Grouped with other hollow figures, and alongside clay bowls, and boxes, they were positioned around the body (or bodies), near the skull. Unfortunately, we lack the information we would need to understand what these figures were made for - do they represent everyday people, even individuals? Are they religious? Were they created to mediate between the living and the dead? Whatever their purpose, today they are beautiful artwork and reminders of the mysterious past.
Provenance: Ex-Bill Freeman collection acquired in the early 1980's
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#117883
- Condition: Intact. There is a strange feature to the fingers of the extended hand but it appears to be a mistake from the smoothing of the clay when the figure was made.
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| 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 |