Lot 49B
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A massive ceramic burial figure in the form of a warrior with a dramatic cape and headdress. The warrior stands, his head twisted to look to one side, with his arms raised and gripping a fierce, flat-bladed club in both hands. His face is fierce, with bulging eyes, a large nose, and his mouth set in a grim line. His large ears have openings for earrings, and may have once been adorned with feathers or other detachable ornament. On his back is his most impressive feature, a giant cape topped by a shell. The tips of the cape appear to be feathers, perhaps emulating a real cape made of turkey feathers. The figure also wears a single horn as a headdress, often a sign of shamanism in ancient West Mexico. Size: 13.5" W x 27" H (34.3 cm x 68.6 cm)
Clay figures like this one are the only remains that we have today of a sophisticated and unique culture in West Mexico - they made no above-ground monuments or sculptures, at least that we know of, which is in strong contrast to developments elsewhere in ancient Mesoamerica. Instead, their tombs were their lasting works of art: skeletons arrayed radially with their feet positioned inward, and clay offerings, like this one, placed alongside the walls facing inward, near the skulls. A large effigy like this one most likely would have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have interpreted these dynamic sculptures of the living as a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, as if they mediated between the living and the dead.
Provenance: ex-private Howard Rose Gallery, New York, USA; ex-private Nevada, USA collection; ex-Dr. David Harner collection, Arkansas, acquired between the 1950s and 1960s, collection #174
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#149818
- Condition: Expertly repaired and restored from multiple pieces. One of the feet has small losses, but the figure stands easily on its own.
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