Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A "flat" terracotta figure of a woman, standing and wearing a large headdress, earrings, necklace, armbands, and a loincloth. Fine details on the armbands and necklace are particularly well done, and she has details all the way around her body, including a long ponytail and an emphasized buttocks. Remains of white, red, and ocher yellow pigment color the skirt, body, and headdress respectively. Size: 2.1" W x 7.25" H (5.3 cm x 18.4 cm); 7.65" H (19.4 cm) on included custom stand.
Colima, located on Mexico's southwestern coast, was during this time part of the shaft tomb culture, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In this culture, the dead were buried down shafts - 3 to 20 meters deep - that were dug vertically or near vertically through the volcanic tuff called tepetate that makes up the geology of the region. The base of the shaft would open into one or more horizontal chambers with a low ceiling. These shafts were almost always dug beneath a dwelling, probably a family home, and seem to have been used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. Figures like this one were placed as offerings into the tombs.
Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s
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#147493
Condition
Repaired at neck and back of head, with light overpaint on the repaired area on the back of the head. Small loss from front of one arm. Otherwise in nice condition with good remaining pigment and light deposits on surface.