Nayarit Chinesco Pottery Seated Figure

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, Chinesco, Protoclassic period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A hand-built pottery female figure of a characteristically abstract form. The Chinesco-style figure sits with spread legs and ample thighs, holds her arms to her sides, has a gently sloping chest, and a tapered neck that supports the enlarged head. The minimalist visage is composed of impressed twin-hole eyes, a conical nose, tab-shaped ears, and a pinched brow, with white slip forming the ground, and red pigment accentuating the cheeks and forehead. The highly burnished surfaces provide for a smooth surface texture that is pleasing to the touch. Size: 4.4" W x 5.8" H (11.2 cm x 14.7 cm)

This style of sculpture is known as Chinesco by collectors because of its stylistic similarities to Chinese art. 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.

Provenance: ex-private southern California, USA collection acquired pre-1980

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#150180 Dimensions: Condition Report: Head reattached to neckline, with resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Minor abrasions to legs and body, with fading to original pigmentation, and possible overpainting on some areas of legs. Nice manganese deposits and traces of original pigment throughout.