Originally listed at $1,000...

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, Ixtlan del Rio type, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. Pottery figure of a seated female grasping an olla on her shoulder and gazing forward with wide, heavy-lidded eyes and gritted teeth; all suggesting she has just ingested a sacred hallucinogen as her spiritual journey commences. Though she exhibits typical Nayarit characteristics of a sizable upper body, a flattened torso, pointed breasts, and tubular limbs, her huge nasal and ear ornaments as well as her striped diadem imbue her appearance with a sense of nobility and high status, indicating she may be a shaman or female spiritual advisor placed in a tomb to help guide the deceased in the underworld. Enveloped in red and beige slip, her body is scattered with rich blooms of manganese creating a mesmerizing effect that accentuates the psychedelic nature of the piece. Size: 9.9" W x 13.9" H (25.1 cm x 35.3 cm)

West Mexican shaft tomb figures like this one derive their names from the central architectural feature that we know of from this culture. These people would build generally rectangular vertical shafts down from the ground level down to narrow horizontal tunnels that led to one or more vaulted or rounded burial chambers. The geomorphology in the area means that these chambers are dug out of tepetate, a type of volcanic tuff material, which give the chambers a rough-edged look. Although the dimensions of the chambers vary considerably - some only large enough to hold a single burial and its offerings, others seem designed to hold entire lineages - the placement of burial goods like this hollow figure was very similar. Grouped with other hollow figures, and alongside clay bowls, and boxes, they were positioned around the body (or bodies), near the skull. Unfortunately, we lack the information we would need to understand what these figures were made for - do they represent everyday people, even individuals? Are they religious? Were they created to mediate between the living and the dead? Whatever their purpose, today they are beautiful artwork and reminders of the mysterious past.

Provenance: private Charlotte, North Carolina, USA collection; ex-Arte Primitivo, New York City, New York, USA, October 29, 2012, lot 11; ex-Tucson, Arizona, USA collection; ex-Robert Patrick collection, Tucson, Arizona, USA, acquired in the 1960s

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#181367

Professionally repaired and restored with restoration over break lines and expected nicks and abrasions to surface, all commensurate with age. A few stable hairline fissures in areas. Otherwise, nice presentation with good pigments and rich manganese blooms to surface.