Olmec Pottery Seated Male Figure
**Originally Listed At $1500**
Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec, ca. 900 to 500 BCE. A beautiful hand-built terracotta figure, its seated body supported by an integral stool column. Nude save for a petite loincloth, his sinuous limbs terminate in conical hands and feet, with one arm extending to his knee and the other bent to a slender abdomen. An elaborate necklace with an oblong pectoral dangles from a thick neck which supports an ovoid head. His expressive visage is comprised of impressed eyes, an open mouth, a bulbous nose, cupped ears with large earspools, and a wide brow line, all topped with a stippled, twin-lobed coiffure adorned with light-orange pigmentation. Perhaps modeled after an individual of high society, this is an exquisite example rife with craftsmanship and charm! Size: 5.25" W x 8.125" H (13.3 cm x 20.6 cm).
The attention to detail on this piece is quite impressive. Note the expressive manner in which his limbs are positioned and how his face appears to be not entirely content with the manner of his current situation. His seated composure suggests that he is someone who can afford to remain seated while those around him toil away, and his necklace and extravagant hairstyle alludes to how opulence and status were perceived in ancient Mesoamerica.
This example is impressive for its technique, iconography, and well as the inherent beauty of ancient Mesoamerican figural terracotta. A superb sculptural work from the Olmec, indeed the first Mesoamerican civilization that most regard as the forerunner of subsequent ancient American cultures such as the Maya and Aztecs!
Provenance: private Andrade collection, New York, New York, USA, acquired 1960s; ex-Knoedler & Company, New York, New York, USA
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.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#131173
Condition Report: Age-commensurate surface wear, small chips to limbs, body, base, and head, fading to applied pigmentation, otherwise excellent. Light earthen deposits within recessed areas, and nice mineral deposits throughout.
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**Originally Listed At $1500**
Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec, ca. 900 to 500 BCE. A beautiful hand-built terracotta figure, its seated body supported by an integral stool column. Nude save for a petite loincloth, his sinuous limbs terminate in conical hands and feet, with one arm extending to his knee and the other bent to a slender abdomen. An elaborate necklace with an oblong pectoral dangles from a thick neck which supports an ovoid head. His expressive visage is comprised of impressed eyes, an open mouth, a bulbous nose, cupped ears with large earspools, and a wide brow line, all topped with a stippled, twin-lobed coiffure adorned with light-orange pigmentation. Perhaps modeled after an individual of high society, this is an exquisite example rife with craftsmanship and charm! Size: 5.25" W x 8.125" H (13.3 cm x 20.6 cm).
The attention to detail on this piece is quite impressive. Note the expressive manner in which his limbs are positioned and how his face appears to be not entirely content with the manner of his current situation. His seated composure suggests that he is someone who can afford to remain seated while those around him toil away, and his necklace and extravagant hairstyle alludes to how opulence and status were perceived in ancient Mesoamerica.
This example is impressive for its technique, iconography, and well as the inherent beauty of ancient Mesoamerican figural terracotta. A superb sculptural work from the Olmec, indeed the first Mesoamerican civilization that most regard as the forerunner of subsequent ancient American cultures such as the Maya and Aztecs!
Provenance: private Andrade collection, New York, New York, USA, acquired 1960s; ex-Knoedler & Company, New York, New York, USA
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.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#131173
Condition Report: Age-commensurate surface wear, small chips to limbs, body, base, and head, fading to applied pigmentation, otherwise excellent. Light earthen deposits within recessed areas, and nice mineral deposits throughout.
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Time, Location
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