Lot 39, Auction 4/20/2026: Tall Nayarit Pottery Seated Shaman Figure

$1,560.00

In stock

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A marvelous and quite massive pottery figure shown seated with hands on thighs. Facing forward, his elongated head features a haunting visage of slit-form eyes, a pinched nose, and an open mouth, all beneath a protruding knob on his forehead, possibly intended as a shaman’s horn. A collar necklace with a loop pendant falls on his clavicle just above sloped shoulder and slender, tubular arms adorned with layered bangles. Size: 6.1″ L x 9″ W x 18.3″ H (15.5 cm x 22.9 cm x 46.5 cm)

Clay 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, at least 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. A large effigy like this one would most likely have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have connected these dynamic sculptures of the living as a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, as if they mediated between the living and the dead.

Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over break lines; all expertly done and difficult to notice. Light surface wear as shown, but otherwise nice presentation with scattered manganese deposits.

Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-private Fayetteville, Arkansas estate, USA, acquired 1960 to 2024

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