Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec culture, ca. 1150 to 550 BCE. An attractive, hand-built pottery figure seated upon crossed legs and a stable posterior. The figure wears a thigh-length skirt with a segmented lower fringe, has broad shoulders that narrow to bent arms, and has a thick neck above the delineated clavicle. The baby-like face is tilted slightly to one side and features almond-shaped eyes with impressed pupils, a pudgy nose above full lips, shallow nasolabial folds, and a smooth brow. Size: 4" W x 6.3" H (10.2 cm x 16 cm); 7.1" H (18 cm) on included custom stand.
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 "baby face", with plump bodies and chubby, pouty facial features. Infants are a recurring theme from Olmec art. The shape of their heads - like this one - have been attributed to deliberate skull shaping. For an interesting article about Olmec baby figures see "Olmec Babies as Early Portraiture in the Americas" by James Doyle, Assistant Curator, Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, April 17, 2015 - https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/2015/olmec-babies
Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s
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#147115
Condition
Repaired from multiple pieces, with resurfacing and light overpainting along break lines. Minor abrasions to limbs, body, and head, with light encrustations, and fading to some finer details. Light earthen deposits throughout.