Description:

Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Jamacoaque (Jama Coaque) culture, ca. 500 CE. A tall and hollow pottery nude woman figurine that functions as a whistle with the characteristic elongated headdress as the mouth hole, and tone keys on the verso of her arms. The figure was mold-made, a technique passed down from the earlier Chorrera culture, and depending on how detailed the artist made the figure, up to 9 molds might be used to craft the entire piece! The headdress and jewelry indicate her status or some power or wealth. Size: 6.5" L x 2.5" W x 13" H (16.5 cm x 6.4 cm x 33 cm); 13.75" H (34.9 cm) on included custom stand.

The Jama Coaque culture named for the towns of Jama and Coaque of the Pacific coast of Ecuador is known for its pottery, especially large human-shaped molded statues adorned with appliques and painted with rich pigments. Dress and ornament were identifiers of clans and ethnic groups and markers of rank among many ancient American peoples. Information encoded in elements of clothing and jewelry would have been understood by the members of those groups.

Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010; ex-Eliot Neal collection, California, USA

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#174949

  • Condition: Stable hairline fissure on head radiating from mouth hole. Minor surface wear and nicks to high pointed areas, otherwise intact and excellent. Good remains of pigments and manganese blooms throughout. Whistle functions!

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October 27, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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