Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chancay culture, ca. 1000 to 1400 CE. A charming terracotta cuchimilco figure of a nude woman, hand-built in the characteristic standing posture with arms raised, standing on cylindrical legs with a squarish head. This hollow body is slipped in a creamy beige hue with painted facial and body decoration in umber brown pigment, including decorative cheek motifs that may symbolize body paint or tattoos. The figure's broad feet and symmetrical stance are stable enough to stand upright unaided! Figures like this were placed in tombs to serve as guardians or companions for the deceased, believed to ward off evil and maintain cosmic balance in the afterlife. Size: 9" W x 18" H (22.9 cm x 45.7 cm)

Provenance: ex-Material Culture Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; ex-Dr. and Mrs. Albert Carol Rosenthal collection; ex-Sothey's Parke-Bernet, Lot 31, April 11, 1975, Sale 3745

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#195434

  • Condition: Choice! Some minor chips to hands and Intact without repairs. Scattered manganese deposits on the head and body. Some fading to painted motifs.

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June 27, 2025 8:00 AM MDT
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 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000