Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, San Sebastian, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A superb and large example of a San Sebastian redware anthropomorphic figure which lacks any clearly-defined genitalia, seated on a two-footed stool so as to signify his/her elite status. Nude save for a notched necklace and hoop-shaped earrings, the figure leans forward dramatically, with one hand held to their mouth and the other resting on a large thigh, with feet planted firmly on the ground, exuding a powerful appearance. The elongated head displays a visage of slit eyes, a prominent nose from which hangs a two-hole nose ring, full cheeks, and a rounded chin. Hundreds of thin burnishing marks imbue the body with a smooth feel, and deep red-orange slip gives it a wonderful earthtone presentation. A fabulous example of this San Sebastian redware type that was found on both sides of the Nayarit-Jalisco border. Size: 7" W x 13.875" H (17.8 cm x 35.2 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 would most likely have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have connected 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 New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Richard Zahn collection, Arizona, USA; ex-private Cia Friedrihs collection, New Mexico, USA
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#133705
Condition
Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age as expected, minor nicks to bottoms of feet and stool legs, with some roughness to body, legs, and head, and some fading to pigmentation. Great earthen deposits and manganese deposits throughout.