Lot 146
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, San Sebastian Red type, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An emaciated, hunchbacked mourner figure, sitting with spinal column and ribcage visible beneath his striated (tattoos or body paint) skin, his legs folded, playing an animal-headed percussive instrument with both hands, his expressive visage comprised of coffee-bean shaped eyes, pronounced nose, and open mouth, indicative of prayer, chanting, or singing, with incised marks representing pocks or facial hair upon the jowels. Size: 3.875" W x 5.5" H (9.8 cm x 14 cm)
The figure is nude, except for a headband, armbands, ear and nose ornaments, this nudity serving to emphasize his physiognomy, that of an emaciated mourner figure with delineated genitalia and a hunchback. In the Pre-Columbian world, hunchbacks were regarded as important figures as their deformities were interpreted as signs that these people were among the chosen few who were touched by the deities and could communicate with the celestial and ancestral realm. A dramatic and meaningful example from this shaft-tomb culture of West Mexico in marvelous condition with so many finely painted details remaining.
Provenance: Ex-Dr. G. Hermann collection, Denver, CO acquired before 1980
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#118963
- Condition: Intact with expected surface wear. Paint fairly vivid. Nice manganese deposits.
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