Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An interesting and unique example of West Mexican pottery, a human male figure seated in a naturalistic pose with elbows resting on his knees, seemingly naked, but with his skin decorated with black, red, and white design that are probably replicating tattooing or scarification. The figure is wearing large earrings, a nosering, and bracelets. What is most interesting about the form is that he is seemingly emaciated, with his ribs jutting from his back. Size: 3.9" W x 8.75" H (9.9 cm x 22.2 cm)

Clay figures like this one are the only remains that we have today of a sophisticated and unique culture in West Mexico -- they made no above-ground monuments or sculptures, at least that we know of, which is in strong contrast to developments elsewhere in ancient Mesoamerica. Instead, their tombs were their lasting works of art: skeletons arrayed radially with their feet positioned inward, and clay offerings, like this one, placed alongside the walls facing inward, near the skulls. A large effigy like this one would most likely have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have connected these dynamic sculptures of the living as a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, as if they mediated between the living and the dead.

Provenance: Ex-Peter Arnovock collection

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#117357

Intact, aside from losses to whatever object