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Manabi Province, Ecuador, Jama-Coaque, ca 500 CE. A seated mold-made terracotta figure, highly decorated with an elaborate feather-fringed mantle, triple-strand beaded pectoral with a grand pendant laying against the chest panel adorned with shell-like appliques, large ear ornaments, and a characteristic cap-like headdress. Remains of pale blue pigment on headdress. Size: 1.75″ W x 2.375″ H (4.4 cm x 6 cm)
It is clear that the Jama-Coaque artists were a sophisticated lot who could create finely modeled sculpture as well as various textiles adorned with imaginative ornamentation, quite evident in the workmanship required to create the elaborate regalia of this seated figure’s “feathered” costume. The Precolumbian worship of sky animals, here referenced by the feather motifs, stemmed from their belief that these winged creatures served as messengers between man and his deities. Second only to the jaguar, the eagle was the emblem of elite warriors.
Condition: Losses to peripheries of mantilla and verso as shown. Some pale blue pigment remains on headdress.
Provenance: Ex-Peter Arenovick Collection, San Francisco, CA
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