Lot 57
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Jalisco, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A Jalisco pottery sheepface seated female figure that blends human and animal features with warmth and humor, presenting a quietly intimate vision of embodiment and adornment. The figure sits with her legs bent to one side, a relaxed and informal pose that immediately distinguishes her from more rigid standing examples within the West Mexican ceramic tradition. She is semi-nude, her pointed breasts exposed and modeled prominently, while a short skirt encircles her hips. One hand rests gently on her abdomen, the other lifts to her cheek in a gesture that suggests ease, reflection, or quiet pleasure. Her face, marked by a pronounced sheep-like muzzle and softly modeled features, carries a subtle smile that lends the figure an expressive, almost conversational presence. Size: 3.6" L x 5.3" W x 8.5" H (9.1 cm x 13.5 cm x 21.6 cm)
The figure is richly adorned. She wears a headband encircling her coiffure, a necklace rendered in dotted relief, large earspools, and a bracelet at the wrist. These elements signal social identity and status, while also emphasizing the role of personal ornament within Jalisco figural imagery. The surface is further animated by white dotted markings across the torso and skirt, commonly interpreted as body paint or ceremonial decoration rather than naturalistic detail.
Sheepface figures occupy a distinctive place in Jalisco ceramics, often interpreted as liminal beings that blur boundaries between human, animal, and supernatural realms. Their expressions and postures range from solemn to playful, suggesting roles tied to ritual performance, fertility, or mythic narrative. As with other Jalisco figures, the proportions - elongated face, abbreviated limbs, and compact body - follow established regional conventions rather than literal anatomy.
Figures of this type were typically placed within shaft tombs as part of grouped assemblages, likely serving as companions, symbolic participants, or representations of social roles carried into the afterlife. Surface wear, mineral accretions, and pigment loss are consistent with age and burial context, grounding this engaging figure firmly in the material history of ancient West Mexico.
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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#199662
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over most break lines, but break line at right ear still visible. Some minor nicks and abrasions commensurate with age, but, otherwise, nice presentation with good remaining pigments and scattered mineral deposits.
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