Lot 1A
Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec culture, ca. 900 to 500 BCE. A fantastic hand-built terracotta figure seated upon an integral stool leg. The figure dons a pleated skirt above a pair of conical legs, and twin outstretched arms with cupped hands stem from rounded shoulders. The body lacks any definition of musculature, suggesting this is perhaps a slightly-older depiction of a classic Olmec baby figure. The head is simply-rendered, with slit-form eyes, a triangular nose, and thin lips comprising the visage, and a domed coiffure resting atop a narrow head. Faint remnants of original crimson-hued embellishments are still visible in some areas. Size: 6.5" H (16.5 cm).
The Olmec are famous for their human depictions; as the first major civilization in this fertile area, their artwork inspired the civilizations that came after them to the point that we think some of them even revered Olmec artwork and kept examples as heirlooms. Figures of this style are known as "baby face", with plump bodies and chubby, pouty facial features. Infants are a recurring theme from Olmec art, and this one would likely have once been white-slipped to match other known examples. The shape of their heads - like this one - have been attributed to deliberate skull shaping.
Provenance: private Andrade collection, New York, New York, USA, acquired in the 1960s; ex-Knoedler & Company, New York, New York, USA
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#131539
- Condition: Both legs reattached, and one arm reattached and repaired from two pieces, with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Expected age-commensurate surface wear and roughness, small chips to skirt, nose, and feet, with fading and loss to pigmentation, otherwise excellent. Light earthen and mineral deposits throughout.
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