**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Jamacoaque (Jama Coaque) culture, ca. 500 BCE to 500 CE. A fabulous pottery effigy of a woman shown bare-chested with lavish adornments and an elaborate headdress. Wearing a knee-length skirt, her upper-body is decorated in bracelets, armbands, a thick, cord necklace, and several facial piercings of the chin, lips, ears, and septum. She gazes out from bulging, almond-shaped eyes beneath heavy lids, the rest of her visage displaying a naturalistic nose, full lips, and a narrow chin, as her ornate headdress features a pair of protruding horns in front of a bulbous back-section with a pair of lengthy ribbons falling to each side. Size: 6.8" W x 10.5" H (17.3 cm x 26.7 cm)

The Jamacoaque 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.

Provenance: private Charlotte, North Carolina, USA collection; ex-Arte Primitivo, New York City, New York, USA, March 2, 2015, lot 157; ex-Thomas E. Wolfsohn collection, acquired 1970 - 1971

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#178432

Professionally repaired with restoration over break lines, and surface wear as shown, but otherwise excellent presentation with nice preservation of detail. Old collection labels on undersides of feet.