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THBEnormous Nayarit Pottery Seated Semi-Nude Female Figure
Lot 87
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$12,000 - $18,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jun 27, 2024
Set Reminder
2024-06-27 11:00:00
2024-06-27 11:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Connoisseur's Delight Fine Art & Antiquities
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/connoisseurs-delight-fine-art-antiquities-16181
Classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (206)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A striking and quite sizable pottery figure of a semi-nude female sitting cross-legged and holding an olla in her right hand as she gazes forward with wide, heavy-lidded eyes and gritted teeth; all suggesting she has just ingested a sacred hallucinogen as her spiritual journey commences. Though she exhibits typical Nayarit characteristics of a broad upper body, a flattened torso, pointed breasts, and tubular limbs, her huge nasal and ear ornaments as well as her striped diadem imbue her appearance with a sense of nobility and high status, indicating she may be a shaman or female spiritual advisor placed in a tomb to help guide the deceased in the underworld. Enveloped in red and beige slip, her body is scattered with rich blooms of manganese creating a mesmerizing effect that accentuates the psychedelic nature of the piece. Size: 11.3" L x 14" W x 20.6" H (28.7 cm x 35.6 cm x 52.3 cm)
West Mexican shaft tomb figures like this one derive their names from the central architectural feature that we know of from this culture. These people would build generally rectangular vertical shafts down from the ground level down to narrow horizontal tunnels that led to one or more vaulted or rounded burial chambers. The geomorphology in the area means that these chambers are dug out of tepetate, a type of volcanic tuff material, which gives the chambers a rough-edged look. Although the dimensions of the chambers vary considerably - some only large enough to hold a single burial and its offerings, others seem designed to hold entire lineages - the placement of burial goods like this hollow figure was very similar. Grouped with other hollow figures, and alongside clay bowls, and boxes, they were positioned around the body (or bodies), near the skull. Unfortunately, we lack the information we would need to understand what these figures were made for - do they represent everyday people, even individuals? Are they religious? Were they created to mediate between the living and the dead? Whatever their purpose, today they are beautiful artwork and reminders of the mysterious past.
Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-private Estate collection, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, acquired 1960 to 2024
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.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#185630Professionally repaired and restored with repainting over break lines; all done very well and difficult to notice. Losses to feet as shown, and some light surface wear, but otherwise excellent presentation with good remaining pigments and scattered mineral deposits and encrustations throughout.Condition
- Shipping Info
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