Description:

Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast Mexico, Vera Cruz, Remojadas style, ca. 550 to 950 CE. An outstanding example of a Sonriente (smiling face) terracotta figure, the most well-known of Remojadas figurines, featuring a traditional wide smile revealing filed teeth on a characteristically almost triangular shaped face, attached to a diminuitive body with outstretched arms and displayed fingers. The gender of this sonriente is not clear; however, he or she dons a beautiful cloak or poncho, a fancy beaded pectoral, ear ornaments, and grand headdress. Sonrientes are rare in Mesoamerican art and scholars suggest that they played a special role in Remojadas society due to their rarity. Why that smile? Well some scholars believe that it was hallucinogenically produced perhaps by ingesting alcoholic pulque while others such as Miller and Taube suggest that the smiling figures were actually performers. Size: Figure itself measures 5-7/8" x 5-1/8"; 6-1/4" on lucite stand.

Provenance: Ex-private Hooper Collection, California, acquired via family descent

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#110273

  • Condition: A large fragment, but a very good representation.

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November 5, 2015 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000