Colima Comala Horned Shaman, Shell Eyes, Zoomorphic Knife
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Colima, Comala type, ca. 100 BCE – 250 CE. A seated male shaman modeled in burnished red-orange pottery, his winged headdress banded with incised chevrons and crowned by a single central horn. Inset shell eyes give the face an arrested, wakeful stare. He wears a multi-pendant necklace, a tunic incised with diamond motifs above a segmented fringe, and a loincloth with tapered rear panel, a seed bag slung at his right side. The raised right hand grips a zoomorphic knife while the left offers an ovoid bowl; a globular vessel rests between his feet, and a spouted opening at the back reveals the hollow body. Horn, knife, and offering vessels together mark him as a ritual practitioner, likely interred as a tomb guardian and companion. Size: 13.625" W x 10.25" H (34.6 cm W x 26.0 cm H).
Comala phase ceramics from Colima are known almost entirely from shaft tombs, vertical chambers cut ten meters or more into volcanic tuff, their lateral galleries stocked with burnished redware for the dead. The polished slip and hollow, air-vented construction of these effigies were technical necessities as much as aesthetic choices: a solid figure of this scale would shatter in firing.
Horned figures are among the rarest of the Colima repertoire. The projecting horn is generally read as the badge of a shaman or curer, a supernatural attribute rather than a costume element, and such figures are often shown with the paraphernalia of their office, as here with the blade and the paired offering vessels. Whether they portray specific individuals or a generalized office remains debated.
Provenance: Private New England collection. Ex. Juan Ley-Chang collection, acquired 1950’s. By descent to the Meza Family Collection, Whittier, CA., 1960’s to present.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73031
Condition
Scattered mineral deposits on the surface. Some scattered repairs with restoration over the break lines and small restorations, ovoid bowl and forearm are restored.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Colima, Comala type, ca. 100 BCE – 250 CE. A seated male shaman modeled in burnished red-orange pottery, his winged headdress banded with incised chevrons and crowned by a single central horn. Inset shell eyes give the face an arrested, wakeful stare. He wears a multi-pendant necklace, a tunic incised with diamond motifs above a segmented fringe, and a loincloth with tapered rear panel, a seed bag slung at his right side. The raised right hand grips a zoomorphic knife while the left offers an ovoid bowl; a globular vessel rests between his feet, and a spouted opening at the back reveals the hollow body. Horn, knife, and offering vessels together mark him as a ritual practitioner, likely interred as a tomb guardian and companion. Size: 13.625" W x 10.25" H (34.6 cm W x 26.0 cm H).
Comala phase ceramics from Colima are known almost entirely from shaft tombs, vertical chambers cut ten meters or more into volcanic tuff, their lateral galleries stocked with burnished redware for the dead. The polished slip and hollow, air-vented construction of these effigies were technical necessities as much as aesthetic choices: a solid figure of this scale would shatter in firing.
Horned figures are among the rarest of the Colima repertoire. The projecting horn is generally read as the badge of a shaman or curer, a supernatural attribute rather than a costume element, and such figures are often shown with the paraphernalia of their office, as here with the blade and the paired offering vessels. Whether they portray specific individuals or a generalized office remains debated.
Provenance: Private New England collection. Ex. Juan Ley-Chang collection, acquired 1950’s. By descent to the Meza Family Collection, Whittier, CA., 1960’s to present.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73031
Condition
Scattered mineral deposits on the surface. Some scattered repairs with restoration over the break lines and small restorations, ovoid bowl and forearm are restored.
Buyer's Premium
30%
