Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Chupicuaro, ca. 500 BCE to 300 CE. A wonderful pair of hand-built terracotta figures known as "pretty ladies" with a highly stylized form. Both are similar with delineated legs and arms held in front. The smaller woman has an applied beaded necklace with traces of red and white pigments. The abstract visage is comprised of applied and impressed eyes, a petite triangular nose, and a miniscule mouth. The larger woman has the same facial features, only with added discoid earspools and a red necklace. Both of their heads are capped by an elaborate centrally parted coiffure, and the larger woman is accentuated with a large roundel with serrated edges. The abstract visages and flattened profiles are characteristic of Chupicuaro artistry, which often idealized feminine beauty. Size of large figure: 4" L x 1.675" W (10.2 cm x 4.3 cm); small figure: 2.25" L x 1" W (5.7 cm x 2.5 cm)

Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-Dr. David Harner collection, Springdale, Arkansas, USA, acquired between the 1950s and 1960s

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#163584

Small figure is repaired with headdress reattached from 3 pieces. Larger figure intact. Earthen encrustations and manganese deposits on both. Nice traces of painted pigments.