Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An intimidating pottery shaman or warrior depicted standing and holding a long staff in his right hand while raising a weapon in his left, as though preparing to strike as he guards the tomb in which he was placed. Mostly nude, he wears only a horned shaman's headdress and a loincloth with an elaborate tufted back. His coffee bean-shaped eyes stare determinedly forward from above his long pointed nose, straight mouth, and set, square jaw; all indicating he is none too pleased at the trespasser who has entered the tomb. Size: 7.3" W x 16.2" H (18.5 cm x 41.1 cm)
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 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 scholars posit that they were used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. This is a figure made to be placed inside those mausoleums, perhaps to mediate between the worlds of the living and the deceased.
Provenance: private Charlotte, North Carolina, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, USA, September 28th, 2006; ex-Fred Samuel collection, Andover, New Jersey USA; ex-The Lands Beyond, New York City, New York, USA
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#177697
Condition
Professionally repaired with restoration and overpainting in areas. Losses to left hand and chipping to tip of headdress and toes of right foot, as well as expected nicks and abrasions to surface. Otherwise, excellent presentation with liberal remaining pigments and rich mineral deposits throughout. Figure can stand up sturdily on his own, but does have a slight wobble.