Nayarit Pottery Warrior Figure

**Originally Listed At $500**

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, Protoclassic period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. An evocative and dramatic figure, a hollow-built pottery warrior/shaman seated with his legs bent before him. He wears a barrel-shaped cuirass and a double-horned helmet - a sign of shamanism according to current scholarship. Otherwise, he is nude, with his phallus clearly delineated. The figure's face is composed of coffee bean-shaped eyes, a prominent nose, large ears, and an open mouth - all topped by his broad brimmed, double-horned helmet. Size: 3.5" W x 8.75" H (8.9 cm x 22.2 cm)

Ceramic 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 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 noted that these dynamic sculptures mediated between the living and the deceased.

Provenance: private Colgate, Wisconsin, USA collection acquired 1970s to 1990s; ex Jerry Novone collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#156831
Condition Report: Repairs to helmet, nose, head at neckline, both hands, and both legs, with nearly invisible resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Abrasions and fading to original pigmentation, with minor pitting in scattered areas, and light encrustations. Nice remains of original pigment and great root marks throughout.