Lot 54
Large Colima Redware Figure of a Hunchback, Crossed Arms
Large Colima Redware Figure of a Hunchback, Crossed Arms
Starting Bid: $800
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Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima., ca. 200 BCE - 500 CE. A seated male figure folds in upon himself with concentrated physical presence, his crossed arms drawn up to his chin in a posture somewhere between self-containment and supplication. The body is compact and volumetric, the rounded limbs and softly swelling torso modeled with the sensuous, nearly abstract confidence that distinguishes the finest Colima figural work. A pronounced dorsal curvature identifies the subject as a hunchback, a figure of considerable ritual significance in ancient West Mexican society, where physical difference was understood not as defect but as a marker of proximity to the supernatural world. Hunchbacks appear with notable frequency in the funerary ceramic traditions of Colima, likely serving as intermediaries between the living and the dead, or as attendants to the underworld journey. Size: 7.8" W x 13" H x 7" D (19.8 cm W x 33.0 cm H x 17.8 cm D)
The hollow vessel form is revealed at the back, where a cylindrical neck opening emerges from between the shoulders. The surface carries a burnished slip in warm red-orange, shading to deeper charcoal tones where the reduction firing pooled unevenly, producing the mottled, smoke-kissed patina characteristic of the type. The face is rendered with pinched, slightly upturned features and a broad flat nose, the expression fixed in an alert, forward-leaning attention. A squared headdress or cap crowns the head. The overall treatment balances formal restraint with a quality of psychological immediacy that makes these figures among the most compelling objects in Pre-Columbian art.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2025; ex-Barakat Gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, acquired between 1985 and 2003
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Item #
202526
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over break lines; all done expertly and difficult to detect. Surface wear as shown with weathering and abrasion commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice presentation with liberal remaining detail and rich mineral deposits throughout.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $749 | $25 |
| $750 | $1,499 | $50 |
| $1,500 | $2,999 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $7,499 | $250 |
| $7,500 | $14,999 | $500 |
| $15,000 + | $1,000 |