Description:

Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Tlatilco, ca. 1250-800 BCE. The name Tlatilco comes from the Nahuatl language and means "the place of occult or hidden things." This funerary gift depicts a female figure who has undergone a cesarean (or caesarean) procedure fascinating as duality is an omnipresent Meso-American theme. Throughout Meso-America, life and death are indivisible and form a continuum. Ritual ceramics of the Tlatilco culture oftentimes exhibit unmistakable Olmec influence resulting from cross-cultural trade relations. These figurines, while not obviously Olmecoid in physiognomy, depict a condition portrayed by the Olmec who were unabashed about depicting the graphic details of a wide range of experiences from women in labor to pathological conditions. Perhaps related to a fertility ritual, the figure's limbs are truncated so as to focus our attention on the loci of fertility - ie the pronounced womb and breasts. A most unusual treasure, clearly created to serve a ritualistic and/or didactic function. Custom stand. Size: 13.75" H (34.9 cm)

Provenance: Ex-Peter Arnovick Collection, Los Altos, CA

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#112104

  • Condition: Old chip to top of head, restoration to mouth area

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January 28, 2016 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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