Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, La Tolita (sometimes Tumaco) culture, ca. 350 BCE to 350 CE. A hand-built pottery figurine depicting a female swimmer presented in a prone position atop her abdomen. She lays with her legs extended outward and supports her upper body with a pair of muscular arms, with her elongated head projecting upwards and displaying her coffee-bean-shaped eyes, rounded nose, full lips, and tab-shaped ears. Atop her head is a simple cap with a pair of applied 'eyes' evocative of an abstract fish. Covered in faint layers of orange, red-orange, and gray pigment, this is a fabulous example of ancient Ecuadorian artistry! Size: 4.3" L x 2.125" W x 3.2" H (10.9 cm x 5.4 cm x 8.1 cm)

Provenance: private Marysville, California, USA collection, purchased from Artemis Gallery auction, March 7, 2019, lot 209; ex-private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private San Francisco, California, USA collection; ex-Nick Miller collection

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#171124

Minor nicks to limbs and head, with fading to pigment in some areas, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits and manganese blooms throughout.