Nayarit Pottery Female Figure – Seated Nude (Auction 2026-06-05, Lot 50)

$449.75

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A boldly modeled pottery figure depicting a nude female seated with legs splayed and arms bent inward, her hands positioned beneath the breasts in a gesture that draws attention to the body’s generative power. The figure’s broad torso and softly rounded limbs reflect the sculptural conventions of Nayarit shaft tomb traditions, where such forms were created as companions for the dead, embodying fertility, ancestry, and continuity. Her face is rendered with a quiet, almost introspective expression, framed by a carefully textured coiffure that falls down the back, while the ears are adorned with pronounced circular ornaments. The genitalia are clearly delineated, an intentional emphasis that underscores themes of fertility and the life cycle, central to the cosmological beliefs of ancient West Mexican cultures. Size: 5.3″ W x 8.4″ H (13.5 cm x 21.3 cm)

The surface retains a warm reddish slip with areas of earthen wear, lending the figure a tactile presence that speaks to both its ritual purpose and its long passage through time.

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: Excellent. Professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over break lines; all expertly done and very difficult to notice. A few stable hairline surface fissures in areas, as well as nicks and abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent presentation with good detail and