Lot 122D
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, Protoclassic period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A fabulous and quite massive clay sculpture of a seated female depicted nude with a long, rectangular torso, bulging, tubular legs, pointed breasts, and attenuated arms. The figure sits on a two-legged stool as she places her hands on her flat stomach, displaying carefully delineated fingers. Her sizable head features a round chin, a straight mouth, an enormous curved nose, and slender eyes topped by an arched brow. Enveloped in a lustrous burnish and a vibrant hue of russet, the ancient female is shown nude, save several hooped earrings that adorn each of her ears and a headdress composed of raised undulating bands. Size: 9.75" W x 24.25" H (24.8 cm x 61.6 cm)
Clay figures like this one are the only remains that we have today of this sophisticated and unique culture in West Mexico. The Nayarit made no above-ground monuments or sculptures, at least that we know of, which is in strong contrast to developments elsewhere in ancient Mesoamerica. Instead, their tombs were their lasting works of art: skeletons arrayed radially with their feet positioned inward, and clay offerings, like this one, placed alongside the walls facing inward, near the skulls. A large effigy like this one would most likely have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have posited that these dynamic sculptures of the living provided a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, and have suggested that they mediated between the living and the dead.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Roy Oswald collection, Arizona, USA, 1960 to 2004
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#161610
- Condition: Repaired from several pieces. Expected surface wear as shown with light char marks in areas. Otherwise, excellent with nice manganese blooms throughout.
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