Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Jamacoaque (Jama Coaque) culture, ca. 500 CE. A remarkable pottery shaman figure depicted seated with folded legs and expressive hand gestures. His strong upper body consists of square shoulders and a puffed-out chest, as he positions his hands just above his lap. Capped by a fabulous, voluminous coiffure made up of several ringlets, his round visage is comprised of ovoid eyes beneath an arched brow, a bulbous nose with a prominent septum piercing, and a slender mouth held in a gentle smile, all flanked by a pair of ears with openwork ear spools. The ancient figure is further adorned by a loin cloth and a sizeable, multi-layered necklace. Researchers believe that what pottery figures wear in this culture is reflective of what real people wore, and so this shaman figure gives us a dramatic glimpse into the past. Size: 10.5" H (26.7 cm)

The Jama Coaque culture, named for the towns of Jama and Coaque of the Pacific coast of Ecuador, is known for its pottery, especially large human-shaped molded statues adorned with appliques and painted with rich pigments. Dress and ornament were identifiers of clans and ethnic groups and markers of rank among many ancient American peoples. Information encoded in elements of clothing and jewelry would have been understood by the members of those groups.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world's largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired 2014; ex-private New York, USA collection, acquired 1990s

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#167969

Ornate and well preserved with crisp details.