Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A well-modeled pottery vessel depicting a hunchback cargador/carrier, seated with stooped over shoulders, supporting a large olla on his back, holding the tumpline around his head. Such bearers provided a pivotal service to their communities, since the wheel was not used to assist vehicles in transporting burdens. The horn on his head symbolizes shamanic status; his large ear ornaments and grand pectoral further attests to this. Size: 4.25" L x 3.5" W x 4.75" H (10.8 cm x 8.9 cm x 12.1 cm)

Hunchbacks make frequent appearances in the art of the shaft tomb cultures of West Mexico. The indigenous purportedly believed their physical deformities were signs that these individuals were touched by the deities and they were thought of as powerful, shamanic figures. Judging from his intense facial expression, this cargador/shaman is either not happy about his labors or deeply engaged in a trancelike state.

Provenance: Ex-private Harvey Collection, acquired prior to 1972

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#120217

  • Condition: Repair to left arm. Loss to rim of olla. Nice manganese deposits on surface.

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March 27, 2017 10:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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