Lot 32
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, Chinesco style, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A hand-modeled Chinesco style pottery figure depicting a seated nude female, shown with legs bent forward in the characteristic compact pose of West Mexican shaft tomb sculpture. The figure's rounded body is smoothly formed, with prominent thighs, softly modeled breasts, and arms resting across the torso. Traces of red and white pigment remain across the surface, indicating that the figure was originally painted with contrasting color. The head displays the distinctive Chinesco aesthetic: an elongated oval cranium, narrow almond-shaped eyes, a small mouth, and a projecting nose. Flattened ovoid ears sit on the sides of the head, and faint painted details survive along the hairline and face. The figure's simplified features and rounded volumes reflect the abstracted, contemplative quality associated with Chinesco figures. Size: 3.2" L x 5.1" W x 7.9" H (8.1 cm x 13 cm x 20.1 cm)
Figures of this type were placed in shaft tombs throughout Nayarit, likely serving as attendants, ancestors, or representations of social identity. Their stylized forms and reserved presence offer a distinct regional expression within the larger corpus of Pre-Columbian ceramic sculpture. This example shows clear preservation of surface modeling and surviving pigment, contributing to its artistic and cultural significance.
Provenance: private Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA collection
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#199420
- Condition: Weathering to surface with a few areas of stable hairline surface fissures and craquelure to pigment as well as nicks and abrasions. Otherwise, intact and very nice with rich earthen deposits and liberal remaining pigments.
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