Lot 152
Nayarit Pottery Female Figure - Kneeling Nude
Nayarit Pottery Female Figure - Kneeling Nude
Starting Bid: $400
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Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A powerful terracotta figure of a kneeling nude female, modeled with commanding presence and vivid detail. The woman is presented with short, stunted arms extended forward, her palms once perhaps offering or receiving ritual objects. Despite her nudity, her body is marked with deliberate adornments: incised arm bands, layered collar necklaces, and prominent ear cuffs that emphasize her elevated status. Her breasts are full and pronounced, and her genitalia clearly delineated, underscoring associations with fertility and female generative power. The head is strikingly detailed, crowned with an elaborate coiffure incised with fine linear striations that sweep across the back of her skull. Her face, with hollow sunken eyes and a gaping open mouth, exudes an almost trance-like intensity, perhaps intended to convey singing, invocation, or spiritual possession. Size: 4.5" L x 6.8" W x 11.5" H (11.4 cm x 17.3 cm x 29.2 cm)
The expressive features - arched brows, sharp nose, parted lips - lend her a haunting vitality that transcends millennia. Figures such as this were interred in shaft tombs of Nayarit and neighboring cultures, likely serving as companions for the deceased or as ritual stand-ins for ancestors and deities. Their sculptural emphasis on jewelry, posture, and physiognomy signals both social identity and symbolic potency, with nude female figures often tied to themes of fertility, regeneration, and the continuity of life.
Provenance: private Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA collection, purchased in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, August 1979
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#197489
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over most break lines, though a few are just barely visible in areas. Light surface wear commensurate with age, but, otherwise, excellent presentation with good remaining detail. Rich encrustations to interior.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |