Pre-Columbian, Quimbaya culture, Ecuador, ca. 1000 to 1250 CE. This is a charming slab pottery figure with tubular arms and legs. He is seated with one arm raised and one to his knee, with obvious genitalia and finely rendered feet and toes. The face is a delight, upturned with slits for eyes and mouth and a prominent, bulbous nose with open nostrils. A large gold ring hangs from his nose; Quimbaya people created fabulous gold jewelry for use by living people, so this guy is sharing their style. Drilled holes at key points on the body give it added texture and may have been used to attach other jewelry, feathers, string, or other ornament when first made. He is a form of sculpture known as a slab figure, which were placed with burials in shaft and chamber tombs, perhaps as guardians or companions for the deceased. Compare this figure to the one held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Size: 6.8" W x 9" H (17.3 cm x 22.9 cm)

Provenance: Ex-Peter Arnovick collection, San Francisco, CA

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