Huge Colombian Tolima Polychrome Lidded Burial Urn

Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Magdalena River Basin, Tolima, ca. 800 to 1500 CE. Painstakingly hand-built via the coiling technique, a colossal human effigy ceramic burial urn created to hold skeletal remains of a cherished ancestor. Ovoid in form, the redware vessel exhibits a narrow base and a wide shoulder, all topped by a convex lid. Its exterior walls are adorned with a thick band of a maze-like design comprised of many meandering striations, painted in red, black, and white pigments. One side of the vessel features a fascinating visage with squinting, coffee-bean eyes, a naturalistic nose donning a thick nose ring, and a petite slightly open mouth held in a gentle smile. Slender applied strips of clay surround the top and sides of the face, while a lizard-form handle can be seen on the opposite side. Size: 17.5" in diameter x 18.75" H (44.4 cm x 47.6 cm); 20" H (50.8 cm) on included custom stand.

In the valley of the River Magdalena, ancient rituals related to the preparation of the body of the deceased for its journey to the afterlife involved the practice of secondary burials in urns like this example. According to the curatorial department of the Museo del Oro Banco de la Republica, "There are two different stages in the secondary burial funerary custom: first of all, a primary burial takes place, where the corpse is buried for a certain period of time established in the ritual, and then after this, it is exhumed for burial once more in an urn, possibly amidst a great collective ceremony. Urns have been found in well tombs with side chamber, with certain local and regional variations. The chambers contain between three and seventy urns, each holding charred bone remains, large, fractured bones, and fragments of skull. Each is accompanied by pots, bowls, and goblets, most of which were made exclusively for the dead person, for they show no signs of having been used. Spindle whorls, rollers and axes have also been found." Examples from the Tolima culture are exceedingly rare.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private J. Hart Collection, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired in 1997; ex-Miguel Meja collection, Miami, Florida, USA, acquired pre-1970s

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#167548
Condition Report: Expected nicks, scratches, and abrasions, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with nice remaining pigments and light earthen deposits throughout.