Large Jalisco Redware Seated Warrior, ex Sotheby's

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Jalisco, Protoclassic Period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A fabulous hand-built pottery warrior figure of a massive size seated upon a broad posterior with bent legs. The bulbous, orange-and-red abdomen tapers towards the rounded shoulders, with a small olla intended for holding blood held in his left hand, and a lengthy, ball-headed club is held in his right. The broad neck supports the elongated head which displays impressed slit-form eyes beneath bulging brows, a huge aquiline nose, a petite mouth with incised teeth, tassel-adorned ears, and a smooth forehead beneath a simple cap bearing a central spout. The highly burnished warrior exhibits wonderful coloration and detailing that has become synonymous with high-quality Jalisco artistry! Size: 10.5" L x 10.75" W x 20.6" H (26.7 cm x 27.3 cm x 52.3 cm)

Colima, located on Mexico's southwestern coast, was during this time part of the shaft tomb culture, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In this culture, the dead were buried down shafts - 3 to 20 meters deep - that were dug vertically or near vertically through the volcanic tuff that makes up the geology of the region. The base of the shaft would open into one or more horizontal chambers with a low ceiling. These shafts were almost always dug beneath a dwelling, probably a family home, and seem to have been used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. This is a figure made to be placed inside those mausoleums, perhaps to mediate between the worlds of the living and the dead.

The sculptural creations of Colima are quite distinctive with smooth, rounded forms presenting remarkable consistency in their warm russet red hues. In addition, the sculpture of Colima is known for a wide range of postures and expressions, making them quite intriguing to us, even some 2000 years after their origination.

Provenance: Howard Rose Gallery, New York, New York, USA; ex-private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Sotheby's, New York (May 9, 1981, lot 111)

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#153073 Dimensions: Condition Report: Professionally repaired from multiple pieces, with light restoration in some areas, and resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Abrasions and encrustations to limbs, body, and head, with fading and scattered areas of fire-darkening to original pigmentation, and softening to some finer details. Nice earthen deposits, mineral deposits, and traces of original pigment throughout. Old inventory label beneath base.