Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A truly fabulous hand-modeled redware pottery vessel in the form of a shaman musician sitting with his legs bent outwards and his feet together. Boasting a high burnish, the intriguing gentleman leans forward while raising his right hand, which he bends at his elbow, and holding a large conch shell trumpet in his right. Among the modeled pottery figures created by ancient West Mexican artisans are wonderful conch shell percussionists as well as 'horn' players who blew through conch shells to produce sonorous effects for entertainment and/or ritualistic purposes. This figure presents a soulful visage as if in a trancelike state - 'feeling' the spiritual effect of the music; notice his closed coffee bean shaped eyes, noble nose, and pursed lips. Clearly a person of significance, he is highly decorated - wearing a shaman horn tied around his neck, pierced ears that once held feathers or other decorative additions, and a headdress that flares in both the front and back and is topped with a funnel that acts as the wide, flared rim to his hollow-form body. Size: 12.75" W x 17" H (32.4 cm x 43.2 cm)
The people in the Colima region were part of the shaft tomb culture, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In these cultures, the deceased were buried in shafts tombs. 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 figural vessel made to be placed inside those mausoleums, perhaps to mediate between the worlds of the living and the dead. A shaman was a powerful member of Colima society, and an effigy vessel placed in a tomb would ensure that the deceased’s spirit had a guide through the underworld.
Provenance: ex-Merrin Gallery, New York, New York, USA; ex-Santamarina Collection, Florida, USA, 1960s
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#162096
Condition
Repaired from several pieces with some restoration and paint over break lines. Expected light surface wear with nicks/chips, scratches, and abrasions in a few areas. Otherwise, excellent with lovely manganese and earthen deposits throughout.