Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 200 to 900 CE. A grotesquely fascinating hollow figure depicting a man suffering from a disease, seated and leaning to one side in pain. He is adorned in ornaments - earrings, septum ring, loin cloth, armbands, headdress, and a painted necklace. Distressing skin sores are applied across the body - circular raised lumps with stippled surfaces- which have been identified by some researchers as serious infections related to venereal diseases such as syphilis. Those suffering from syphilis will often exhibit an inflamed rash and serious lesions across their skin that can lead to disfigurement. This unfortunate man does not sit upright, rather half kneels with one arm for support because there are lesions directly on his buttocks which must be excruciating to sit on! Size: 7.3" L x 5" W x 9" H (18.5 cm x 12.7 cm x 22.9 cm)

For a similar example of this type, please see the Los Angeles Count Museum of Art (LACMA) website, object number: M.86.296.24.

Provenance: private Charlotte collection, North Carolina, USA, acquired from Neal Auction Co., Jackson, Mississippi, USA in 2005; ex-High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; ex-Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, USA, May 8, 1971, lot 204

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#176676

  • Condition: Professionally repaired and restored. Infill to break lines on body and indiscernible from exterior. Supporting arm is reattached with break line across armband. Stable fissure on other arm. Manganese deposits across surface.

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February 16, 2023 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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