Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero State, Xochipala culture, ca. 1000 BCE to 250 CE. A rare group of three pottery figures modeled in warm clay with a mineral slip, including two female ballgame players shown with padded belts and poised stances, alongside a third figure grasping serpents in a gesture often associated with ritual or mythic symbolism. The figures display balanced proportions, rounded limbs, and carefully articulated faces that convey movement, individuality, and presence. Xochipala figures are widely admired for their lifelike modeling and the subtle, expressive way they convey the human form. Size of largest: 3" W x 7.6" H (7.6 cm x 19.3 cm)

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; smallest: ex-private Los Angeles, California, USA collection; ex-major gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, primarily acquired between 1985 and 2005

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#200340

  • Condition: Smallest figure is repaired with head and right arm reattached with faint breaklines. Arms, left leg, and head of mid sized figure are reattached with infill along breaks. Largest is repaired and restored, with pieces of headdress restored with new material, and the head is reattached.

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Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

February 13, 2026 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
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