Lot 24
** A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this artwork will be donated to the Anthony Quinn Foundation, whose mission is to advocate for the important role arts education plays in personal development and in the overall improvement of social, economic and cultural systems. Learn more at aqfoundation.org **
Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast of Mexico, Veracruz, Remojadas, ca. 600 to 900 CE. A playful pottery sonriente (smiling face) head exhibiting a heart-shaped visage with a raised brow, a pair of narrowed almond-shaped eyes, a broad nose, prominent cheeks, and a bowed lip smile, with parted lips exposing teeth, as though mid-laugh. This jovial child wears a square headdress that flares at the top and a sizeable, annular earspool in their right ear. Size: 4.9" W x 4.9" H (12.4 cm x 12.4 cm); 8.3" H (21.1 cm) on included custom stand.
Sonrientes or "smiling faces" are the most famous pottery figures from this period in Veracruz (known as Remojadas for its keystone archaeological site). Like this one, they depict wide, smiling, childlike faces, often with teeth showing. Smiling faces are very rare in Mesoamerican art, but in Remojadas and the surrounding area, these Sonrientes were apparently popular, leading to a mystery for archaeologists. Some have suggested that the smiles are the result of consuming the alcoholic beverage pulque or taking hallucinogenic drugs; others see them as representing performers.
Published in "Anthony Quinn's Eye: A Lifetime of Creating and Collecting Art" by Donald Kuspit, Jay Parini, and Tom Roberts (Bristol, Rhode Island: Bristol House Press, 2004), page 60.
Provenance: ex-private collection of actor Anthony Quinn and his wife Katherine, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA acquired prior to 2000
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#169134
- Condition: Fragment of a larger piece. Repair to headdress, neck, and verso with restoration. Loss of proper left earring. Expected nicks and abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with light earthen deposits. Modern writing in pencil on verso.
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