Large Chorrera Pottery Seated Figure Vessel w/ TL

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Fine Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic Art

By Artemis Gallery

Oct 31, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-10-31 10:00:00 2019-10-31 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Fine Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-art-4581
Our Halloween Day auction features classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe, plus fine art. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Chorrera culture, ca. 9th to 4th century BCE. A fantastically well-preserved pottery figure with a smooth burnished surface, a woman richly adorned and seated in a crouch atop a wide, round, apple-shaped vessel. Protruding from the woman's head is a double spout with a curved, half-circle strap handle between them. Her arms and chest are incised with curlique motifs that to the modern eye resemble musical notes but that may signify rising crops. Rigidly combed, straight hair covers the forehead, while a decorative cap with incised triangles and labyrinthine forms covers the rest of the head. The woman's face is sunken, with deeply set, large eyes, a tiny, pointed nose, and a small mouth with gritted teeth between two chubby cheeks. Pierced earlobes indicate that the vessel may have once had gold rings or some other decoration. Size: 6.25" W x 11.75" H (15.9 cm x 29.8 cm)
  
  Chorrera ceramics like this one often have well-finished surfaces; they represent a culture that spanned from the desert to the sea but had a fairly uniform artistic tradition. Chorrera art, like Valdivian art before it, was focused on detailed representations of the human body, often without much ornament; archaeologists have interpreted this to mean that their society was relatively egalitarian in contrast to their successors, the Jamacoaque, who used their sculptures to demonstrate detailed clothing and headdresses, which are usually signs of social status. Their human figures, like this one, are marked by rounded, full forms with very little anatomical detail aside from the heads. The presence of anything indicating the figure's sex makes this a particularly rare example.
  
  This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.
  
  Provenance: private Arcadia, California, USA collection, acquired at William Siegel Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
  
  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.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #150324

  Condition

  Stand in photograph is not included. Expertly repaired and restored with approximately 85% original material. TL drill hole on underside. Small chips, nicks, and scratches commensurate with age.
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