Lot 121B
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, Chinesco Type C, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A moving portrayal of sorrow and solemn ritual, this hollow pottery figure embodies the hallmark features of Chinesco Type C sculpture from ancient Nayarit. Seated with one knee drawn upward and her slender arms draped mournfully across it, the figure tilts forward in a quiet hunch, her mouth parted in an anguished wail. The emotion, though frozen in clay, pulses through the stylized form - a silent lament echoing across centuries. She is defined by the contrast between her form's extremes: long, rope-like arms curl delicately around thick, weighty legs, a striking juxtaposition noted by von Winning (1974a: 69-71) and Gallagher (1983: 107-8) as characteristic of Type C. Her left leg is tucked beneath her, while the left hand appears nearly fused to the right knee in a sculptural gesture unique to this regional style. Size: 4.2" L x 4.4" W x 6.3" H (10.7 cm x 11.2 cm x 16 cm)
The face is marked by widely spaced eyes, a prominent nose, and open lips that extend outward - not a passive detail but a likely sign of ritual scarification or bloodletting, testaments to the deep ceremonial identity of the figure. Traces of red slip remain on the surface, highlighting her expressive features and ritual attire. A simple loincloth is suggested, though her sex is subtly delineated, consistent with the restrained yet purposeful anatomical modeling typical of Chinesco representations. Her pierced ears may have once held ornaments, now lost, and her scalp is clean-shaven or capped with a smooth surface, a common trait among these figures.
Figures like this one were likely placed in shaft tombs as part of funerary offerings, their stylized bodies and mournful gestures standing in for ritual participants, ancestors, or mourners themselves. Whether embodying the grief of those left behind or guiding the dead into the afterlife, she serves as a timeless icon of devotion, transformation, and memory.
Cf. Sainsbury Centre, 851.
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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#196088
- Condition: Some light surface wear as shown with small nicks and abrasions commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with good remains of pigment.
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