Description:

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, southern Nayarit region, Chinesco, Lagunillas, Type E, Protoclassic, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. Wow! A truly astounding example of Lagunillas or Chinesco pottery of the highly-desirable Type E form, characterized by a naturalistic pose and cream-hued slip. The profoundly meditative aura of the closed eyes and head slightly tilted is in contrast to the fleshy and youthful body with arms folded atop propped up knees. Though primarily nude, the male figure is adorned by red-slipped and black resist decoration, most notably featuring an iconic "red hand" on the right cheek and back, as well as a thin cord around the waist and resist-painted motifs on the right arm and shins. His swollen cheeks are incised with initiation slits of scarification as the lower lip is pulled slightly inward, as if by inhalation. Each rectangular ear is pierced for a removable earring that has since perished. Size: 8.6" L x 7.2" W x 13.5" H (21.8 cm x 18.3 cm x 34.3 cm)

Lagunillas is a sub-style from the Nayarit region and figures of this style are notable for their smooth burnished surfaces, painted ornament, and emotive expressions. Within the corpus of the Lagunillas (“Chinesco"), the cream-slipped serene figures, like this example, are the most prized style. Nayarit figures commonly represent musicians, ancestral couples, family members, or ballplayers. This emotive aged figure sits in a static pose yet his expression attests to the great skill of Nayarit artists.

A similar pottery figure hammered $110,000 (equivalent to $231,684.10 today) at Sotheby's New York on November 15th, 1994 (lot 103, "Pre-Columbian Art").

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection

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#189396

    Condition:
  • Proper left leg professionally repaired with break line visible. Some chipping to ears and feet. Otherwise, body is intact and presentation is excellent. Impressive preservation of pigments. Nice manganese deposits and root marks to surface.

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November 15, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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