**Originally Listed At $500**
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Pihuamo, ca. 200 BCE to 300 CE. A fabulous clay figure shown seated with his hand resting on his legs. Enveloped in a lustrous red glaze, the fascinating figure gazes forward from annular eyes above a pointed nose, and minimalist mouth, all flanked by a pair of triangular ears. His thick body displays short legs that are slightly bent at the knees, a hunched back, and lengthy, tubular arms. A set of 3 large petaloid embellishments project from his neck, likely intended to represent a pectoral. An intriguing example. Size: 5.9" W x 8.4" H (15 cm x 21.3 cm)
Clay figures like this one are the only remains that we have today of a sophisticated and unique culture in West Mexico - they made no above-ground monuments or sculptures, at least that we know of, which is in strong contrast to developments elsewhere in ancient Mesoamerica. Instead, their tombs were their lasting works of art: skeletons arrayed radially with their feet positioned inward, and clay offerings, like this one, placed alongside the walls facing inward, near the skulls. A large effigy like this one most likely would have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have interpreted these dynamic sculptures of the living as a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, as if they mediated between the living and the dead.
Provenance: private Healy collection, Studio City, California, USA, acquired July 2014; ex-Arte Primitivo, New York City, New York, USA; ex-Rutherford collection, Phoenix, Arizona, acquired 1970s
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#166562
Condition
Proper left foot, right arm, right leg, and head reattached with some restoration and break lines visible in a few areas. Expected nicks and abrasions commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nice remaining pigments and rich earthen deposits on interior.