Large Colima Horned Shaman Vessel Figure, Offering Bowl
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Colima, ca. 100 BCE – 250 CE. A seated male figure in burnished red-orange pottery raises an ovoid bowl to his chin with both outstretched arms. A single horn rises from the center of his forehead, flanked by arched, striated cornrow bands sweeping over the temples. The face is broad and trance-like: heavy angular nose, half-closed lids, pierced and distended earlobes. Across the abdomen runs a wide incised band of six registers of short vertical strokes framed by solid borders, likely representing a woven or wrapped garment. The hollow body served as a vessel, its opening set at the crown. Figures of this type accompanied the dead in Colima shaft tombs, and the horn and offering bowl mark the subject as a ritual specialist. Size: 8.5" W x 17.5" H (21.6 cm W x 44.5 cm H).
The shaft-tomb tradition of western Mexico, spanning Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit, produced some of the most naturalistic ceramic sculpture of the ancient Americas. Chambers were cut ten to twenty feet below ground at the base of a vertical shaft and furnished with hollow effigy figures, dogs, and vessels for the journey of the deceased. Horned figures are a recognized Colima subtype: the frontal projection is generally read as an emblem of shamanic office rather than a literal headdress, and comparable examples hold bowls, conch trumpets, or clubs. Because the tombs were looted long before controlled excavation, secure archaeological context for most surviving figures is lost, and typology and burnished-slip technique carry the weight of attribution.
Provenance: Private New England collection, acquired from Anthropos Gallery, about 2010, ex. Meza Family collection, prior to 1970.
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 #
73029
Condition
Overall scattered areas of surface deposits and root marks. A clean repaired break at the lower waist level with the break line slightly visible on the reverse, otherwise intact, overall excellent condition.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Colima, ca. 100 BCE – 250 CE. A seated male figure in burnished red-orange pottery raises an ovoid bowl to his chin with both outstretched arms. A single horn rises from the center of his forehead, flanked by arched, striated cornrow bands sweeping over the temples. The face is broad and trance-like: heavy angular nose, half-closed lids, pierced and distended earlobes. Across the abdomen runs a wide incised band of six registers of short vertical strokes framed by solid borders, likely representing a woven or wrapped garment. The hollow body served as a vessel, its opening set at the crown. Figures of this type accompanied the dead in Colima shaft tombs, and the horn and offering bowl mark the subject as a ritual specialist. Size: 8.5" W x 17.5" H (21.6 cm W x 44.5 cm H).
The shaft-tomb tradition of western Mexico, spanning Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit, produced some of the most naturalistic ceramic sculpture of the ancient Americas. Chambers were cut ten to twenty feet below ground at the base of a vertical shaft and furnished with hollow effigy figures, dogs, and vessels for the journey of the deceased. Horned figures are a recognized Colima subtype: the frontal projection is generally read as an emblem of shamanic office rather than a literal headdress, and comparable examples hold bowls, conch trumpets, or clubs. Because the tombs were looted long before controlled excavation, secure archaeological context for most surviving figures is lost, and typology and burnished-slip technique carry the weight of attribution.
Provenance: Private New England collection, acquired from Anthropos Gallery, about 2010, ex. Meza Family collection, prior to 1970.
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 #
73029
Condition
Overall scattered areas of surface deposits and root marks. A clean repaired break at the lower waist level with the break line slightly visible on the reverse, otherwise intact, overall excellent condition.
Buyer's Premium
30%
