Description:

Pre-Columbian, Western Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. Pottery seated vessel in the form of a nearly nude male drinking from a shell cup. Large circular spout atop his head, coffee-bean eyes, pierced ears incised band around his belly, wide hips and erect phallus. Based on his dreamy looking eyes (okay, that's a polite way to say he looks quite stoned) it seems logical this figure is drinking a hallucinogenic and is now in a trance. Size: 6.5" W x 11.5" H (16.5 cm x 29.2 cm)

Colima, located on Mexico's southwestern coast, was during this time part of the shaft tomb culture, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In this culture, the dead were buried down shafts - 3 to 20 meters deep - that were dug vertically or near vertically through the volcanic tuff that makes up the geology of the region. The base of the shaft would open into one or more horizontal chambers with a low ceiling. These shafts were almost always dug beneath a dwelling, probably a family home, and seem to have been used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. A figure like this example was created to be placed inside those mausoleums, perhaps to mediate between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005

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#194124

  • Condition: Vessel has three or four repairs, all of which are nearly invisible. Surface with deposits and manganese blooms.

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July 25, 2025 8:00 AM MDT
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