Lot 180a, Auction 3/19/2026: Two Jalisco Pottery Standing Male Figures

$325.00

In stock

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Jalisco, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A compelling pair of Jalisco pottery standing male figures representing the distinctive sculptural tradition associated with West Mexican shaft tomb cultures. Both figures are modeled in upright stance with expressive facial features and carefully rendered attire, reflecting the hieratic style characteristic of Jalisco ceramic figural art. The taller figure wears a prominent headdress, earspools, and a diagonal sash crossing the torso, while the genitalia are deliberately exposed, a detail often associated with fertility symbolism or masculine identity within Pre-Columbian figural traditions. The companion figure stands with a shorter headdress and a simple loincloth, his shoulders marked with stippled surface texturing that likely represents ceremonial scarification, a sign of rank or ritual status among elite individuals. Size: 2.3″ W x 6.3″ H (5.8 cm x 16 cm); 6.6″ H (16.8 cm) on included custom stand.

Jalisco ceramics are known for their stylized proportions, including elongated faces, compact limbs, and expressive features. Such figures were frequently placed within shaft tombs as part of funerary assemblages, where they may have represented ancestors, attendants, or participants in ritual life accompanying the deceased into the afterlife. Together, the pair provides a vivid glimpse into the ceremonial and social imagery of ancient West Mexico, where sculpted figures served as enduring representations of identity, status, and ritual practice.

Condition: Both have repair and restoration to lower legs. More petite has chipping to feet and both have light surface wear. Good remaining pigments and detail.

Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005

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