Description:

Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Valdivian culture, ca. 3500 to 3000 BCE. A greenstone figure of a standing human - probably a female, based on the incised breasts - with a face composed of incised lines, divided onto strikingly geometric sections: two ovals, each one containing an eye and rounded cheek, split by a long nose. Lines at top and bottom delineate the face. A thin slit carved out at the bottom forms legs. The stone is very pale green with streaks of dark green through it. The Valdivia lived in communities that built their homes around a central plaza in a circle or ovoid shape; they were fishermen primarily who also did some subsistence farming and hunting to supplement their diet. They are famous for creating some of the oldest stone and ceramic figures in the New World. Their highly abstract human figures are often tall and thin, with their faces emphasized in the carving as here. Size: 1.4" W x 5.4" H (3.6 cm x 13.7 cm); 5.6" H (14.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Colin Arundel, California, USA

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#132574

  • Condition: Small chips and scratches on surface commensurate with age.

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May 10, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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