Nayarit Pottery Seated Female Figure with Nose Rings and Patterned Skirt
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE – 300 CE. A hollow pottery figure of a seated woman, bare-chested, with her legs stretched out in front and her elbows bent so the hands meet at the center of her chest. Her small breasts are lightly modeled. The broad, flat face is dominated by a large, jutting nose hung with layered nose rings, and stacked, scalloped earrings frame it on both sides. A thick rolled headband circles the crown. She also wears armbands and a necklace. A wrapped skirt, painted with zigzag or striated lines, flares over her hips and thighs, and the warm red slip of the body contrasts with the paler, gray-toned head. The figure is about how this woman looked: her jewelry and dress showed her rank, and the piece was likely made as a tomb offering. Size: 7" H x 5.25" W x 3.5" D (17.8 cm H x 13.3 cm W x 8.9 cm D).
Figures like this come from the shaft tomb tradition of ancient West Mexico. In present-day Nayarit, Jalisco, and Colima, people dug deep vertical shafts that opened into chambers where the dead were buried with ceramic offerings. Nayarit potters made lively, somewhat stylized people, often dressed up in stacked ear and nose ornaments, painted textiles, and headgear. Many scholars read these as portraits of social roles, such as a high-ranking woman, a ruler, or a warrior, rather than as gods. Their hand-modeled liveliness has made them some of the best-known works of ancient Mesoamerican ceramic sculpture.
Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection; ex-estate of Dr. Adolfo Gonzalez, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired 1985 to 2005
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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 #205792
Condition
Repaired and restored with restoration and resurfacing over some break lines, while other break lines remain visible. Weathering and surface wear commensurate with age as shown. Nice remaining detail and scattered earthen deposits in areas.
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE – 300 CE. A hollow pottery figure of a seated woman, bare-chested, with her legs stretched out in front and her elbows bent so the hands meet at the center of her chest. Her small breasts are lightly modeled. The broad, flat face is dominated by a large, jutting nose hung with layered nose rings, and stacked, scalloped earrings frame it on both sides. A thick rolled headband circles the crown. She also wears armbands and a necklace. A wrapped skirt, painted with zigzag or striated lines, flares over her hips and thighs, and the warm red slip of the body contrasts with the paler, gray-toned head. The figure is about how this woman looked: her jewelry and dress showed her rank, and the piece was likely made as a tomb offering. Size: 7" H x 5.25" W x 3.5" D (17.8 cm H x 13.3 cm W x 8.9 cm D).
Figures like this come from the shaft tomb tradition of ancient West Mexico. In present-day Nayarit, Jalisco, and Colima, people dug deep vertical shafts that opened into chambers where the dead were buried with ceramic offerings. Nayarit potters made lively, somewhat stylized people, often dressed up in stacked ear and nose ornaments, painted textiles, and headgear. Many scholars read these as portraits of social roles, such as a high-ranking woman, a ruler, or a warrior, rather than as gods. Their hand-modeled liveliness has made them some of the best-known works of ancient Mesoamerican ceramic sculpture.
Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection; ex-estate of Dr. Adolfo Gonzalez, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired 1985 to 2005
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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 #205792
Condition
Repaired and restored with restoration and resurfacing over some break lines, while other break lines remain visible. Weathering and surface wear commensurate with age as shown. Nice remaining detail and scattered earthen deposits in areas.
