Lot 55A
Pre-Columbian, Northern Mexico, Casas Grandes (Paquime), ca. 1200 to 1450 CE. A warm, softly burnished redware surface shapes this Casas Grandes effigy vessel, its rounded body rising to an understated yet expressive anthropomorphic face. The potter modeled the head with gentle asymmetry, allowing the features to emerge from the clay as though rising from a dreamlike state. The eyes are rendered as narrow slits, the nose subtly raised, and the mouth formed by a small oval aperture that gives the figure a quiet, contemplative presence. Traces of blackened firing clouds sweep across the upper portion, adding tonal depth to the face. The vessel's silhouette follows the characteristic Paquime preference for full, swelling forms that taper into a short, slightly everted rim. Casas Grandes artisans were celebrated for their diverse effigy ceramics, which included human figures, animals, and hybrid beings connected to fertility, household ritual, and community identity. Size: 6.8" Diameter x 6.8" H (17.3 cm x 17.3 cm)
This example belongs to a group of vessels in which the human head emerges directly from the jar's shoulder, creating a fusion of container and personhood that speaks to the living nature of ritual objects in the Casas Grandes worldview. Whether used for storage, offering, or ceremonial display, this vessel presents a calm, humanized presence, its rounded form and subtly modeled face capturing the gentle spirit of Paquime redware at its most intimate.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Los Angeles, California, USA collection; ex-major gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, primarily acquired between 1985 and 2005
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#199677
- Condition: Some light surface wear with nicks and abrasions as shown, all commensurate with age, but, otherwise, intact and excellent with scattered mineral deposits and good detail.
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