Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A grand bichrome terracotta female figure, hand painted in slip of red and cream hues, sitting with her legs outstretched and holding a round-bottomed vessel in her hands. Though the upper half of her torso is naked, she wears a long skirt and a wide headband adorned with diagonal stripes. She is further adorned with elaborate ear ornaments, a large nose ring, and a pectoral. Her visage displays traits characteristic of the Nayarit including an overall rectangular shape, wide open eyes, a prominent nose, and a finely delineated toothy smile. In addition to sculpture, the artist of this piece embraced the art of painting and all the possibilities it presents. Notice the stippled red dotted pattern covering her face with white dots extending to her neck, perhaps indicative of face paint, tattoos, or a skin condition. Notice too how the artist played with pattern and contrasting hues on her torso and skirt -- her shoulders and breasts painted red, her middle and arms a white cream, even a feint but still discernible negative resist pattern upon the skirt. Quite simply, this is a gorgeous example from the ancient Nayarit peoples of West Mexico! Size: 6.25" W x 10.5" H (15.9 cm x 26.7 cm)

Provenance: Ex- B. DiPietro collection, PA

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#112247

Expected surface wear. Repair to left leg as shown. Interestingly, when examining this piece, whole old sunflower seeds fell out of the firing hole on the back of its head - perhaps an offering.