Description:

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A wonderfully minimalist terracotta female figure. She sits with her short legs out, feet up, and arms over her round stomach, suggesting that she is pregnant. Her face is heart-shaped, with incised hair above it; her face is simple, with slit eyes and a slender nose bearing a large ring. White painted details give her a necklace with dangling pendants. Size: 5.5" L x 5.4" W x 7.2" H (14 cm x 13.7 cm x 18.3 cm)

This style of sculpture is known as Chinesco by collectors because of its stylistic similarities to Chinese art. Clay figures like this one are some of the only remains that we have today of a sophisticated and unique culture in West Mexico - they left 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.

Provenance: Ex-Harvey Collection, acquired prior to 1972

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#120164

  • Condition: Small chip to one ear; much remaining pigment, light manganese deposits well distributed over the body.

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February 9, 2017 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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