Nayarit Pottery Figural Mother w/ Child on Back

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit culture, Chinesco, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. An endearing pottery figure of a seated nude female holding a child on her back. Sitting upright with spread legs, the female presents traditional Nayarit characteristics with an elongated head, coffee bean-shaped eyes, a pointed nose, and striated hair. A collar necklace envelops her neck, resting just above her petite breasts as her child seemingly climbs up her plank-like body, displaying a large, flared head, flattened body, and prominent buttocks. Size: 4.2" L x 5.3" W x 8.7" H (10.7 cm x 13.5 cm x 22.1 cm)

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. Some scholars have connected these dynamic sculptures of the living as a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, as if they mediated between the living and the dead.

Provenance: private Reinsmoen collection, Clear Lake, Iowa, USA, acquired through descent from Robert Anderson, acquired prior to 2000

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#185370
Condition Report: Professionally repaired and restored with breaks lines and adhesive visible in some areas and repainting over break lines in other areas. Loss to left neck and right ear of child, as well as right ear of female. Light surface wear as shown, but otherwise nice presentation with earthen deposits throughout.