Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Jamacoaque culture, ca. 500 CE. An imposing and expressive example of an important personage, seated with his or her hands resting on his or her knees, with fine details on hands and feet. The figure wears a massive headdress and a tunic, both decorated with large applied feather- and bean-like items that are depicted three dimensionally on the surface of the figure. A huge pectoral and large earrings that hang to the chest complete the figure's rich ornament, along with multiple bracelets and anklets. Size: 5.45" W x 9.35" H (13.8 cm x 23.7 cm)
This figure represents one of the best-known aspects of the Jamacoaque (Jama Coaque) artistic legacy, a realistic pottery figure that is probably a portrait of an individual. He or she may once have also had gold and/or stone ornaments. Headdresses, jewelry, and styles of dress were all signifiers of rank and social status within many pre-Columbian societies; to a member of the Jamacoaque, this figure probably had even deeper meaning, and they may have recognized who they were seeing.
Provenance: private Lowe collection, St. George, Utah, USA
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#138403
Condition
Repaired from several pieces, with most notably repairs around the legs/feet and lower body. There is no restoration or added clay. Small losses from peripheries, most notably from the top of the headdress. The details of the figure are nicely preserved with some remaining blue pigment, especially on the chest and front of the headdress.