Mesoamerican Pottery Figures – 8 Piece Lot (Auction 2026-06-05, Lot 52A)

$385.50

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, ca. 500 BCE to 500 CE; Mexico, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE; West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE; Oaxaca, Zapotec, ca. 200 BCE to 800 CE; Michoacan, ca. 300 to 900 CE; Veracruz, ca. 600 to 900 CE; Guatemala, Maya, ca. 600 to 900 CE. A varied and engaging group of eight Pre-Columbian pottery figures, each reflecting distinct regional styles and cultural traditions across ancient Mesoamerica and Central America. The lot includes a Nayarit Chinesco seated figure on nubbin legs, a Colima figural whistle, a Veracruz seated figure with traces of bitumen, a Michoacan head, a petite Costa Rican example, a Zapotec headless figure with a child on the leg, a larger Maya figure from Guatemala, and a West Mexican seated headless figure with hands resting on the knees. Size of largest (torso with hands crossed on chest): 3.5″ L x 3.8″ W x 6.5″ H (8.9 cm x 9.7 cm x 16.5 cm)

Together, these pieces illustrate a rich spectrum of form, function, and symbolism, from playful whistles to more solemn figural representations likely tied to ritual or funerary contexts.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Los Angeles, California, USA collection; ex-major gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, primarily acquired between 1985 and 2005

Condition: Damaged. Many are fragmentary with losses and sone repairs with visible break lines. Scattered earthen deposits and liberal remaining detail. Colima figural whistle still functions as a musical instrument.