Important Olmec Terracotta Nude Baby

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Fine Antiquities | Ethnographica | Fine Art

By Artemis Gallery

May 19, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-05-19 10:00:00 2022-05-19 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Fine Antiquities | Ethnographica | Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-antiquities-ethnographica-fine-art-9350
Featuring a very special collection of Fine Art from the Hollywood Hills, including Picasso & Rookwood ceramics! Also included are many fine examples of classical antiquities, ancient, and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, south-central Mexico and Guatemala, Olmec culture, ca. 1000 to 200 BCE. An expressive terracotta figure of a seated human baby depicted nude and posed with legs akimbo and both arms raised as though throwing a tantrum or begging to be picked up. Showing no visible sex, the infant displays a chubby body with a bulging belly and a recessed navel. The child's stance emphasizes the shape of the body, as both portly legs terminate in petite feet and the thick arms lead to prominent hands with delineated fingers. The head and face are fantastic - with narrow eyes that squint as though mid-cry beneath slanted brows, a protruding nose adorned with a septum ring, and fleshy lips held open in a breathy wail. Elongated ears flank the oblong visage, each with 2 piercings that suggest the figure once wore earrings, while an incised tuft of hair embellishes the top of the towering forehead. Size: 8.4" W x 10.6" H (21.3 cm x 26.9 cm); 11.4" H (29 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Creamy beige pigment envelops the child, save for its hair which boasts a vibrant hue of red.
  
  The Olmec are famous for their human depictions; as the first major civilization in this fertile area, their artwork inspired the civilizations that came after them to the point that we think some of them even revered Olmec artwork and kept it as heirlooms. Figures of this style are known as "Olmec babies," with plump bodies and chubby, pouty facial features. Infants are a recurring theme from Olmec art, and this one would likely have once been fully white-slipped to match other known examples. The shape of their heads - like this one - have been attributed to deliberate skull shaping.
  
  Provenance: ex-private Daniel Powers collection, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USA collection before 2000
  
  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.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
  
  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #130915

  Condition

  Repaired from several pieces with restoration over break lines. Proper right forearm and hand restored from new material. Chip to finger on right hand. Two modern perforations to sides of torso made in order to attach to stand. Some expected nicks, pitting, and abrasions, commensurate with age. Minor perforations to back of head, under left arm, and on posterior. Otherwise, excellent with nice remaining pigments.
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