Three Proto-Maya & Ecuadorian Pottery Figures (Auction 2026-06-05, Lot 48)

$321.25

Pre-Columbian, Mesoamerica, Proto-Maya, ca. 300 BCE to 250 CE; South America, Ecuador, Jamacoaque, ca. 500 BCE to 500 CE. A compelling trio of hand-modeled terracotta personages: the largest, likely Proto-Maya, sits with one knee raised, hands to large earspools beneath a bulbous turban-like headdress; a diminutive coastal Ecuador figure stands ithyphallic with one hand lifted and a wrapped head; and a mantle-clad Jama-Coaque figure with rounded visage suggests outstretched arms beneath a poncho. Each is formed from buff clay with applied pellet pectorals and incised details; surfaces exhibit mineral deposits and remnants of slip, while a rear vent on the cloaked figure indicates hollow construction. Such figurines were central to household shrines and funerary offerings across these regions, likely invoking fertility, protection, and ancestral presence – closely paralleled by examples in major museum collections of Mesoamerica and coastal Ecuador. Size of largest (Proto-Maya): 2.6″ L x 3.8″ W x 6.6″ H (6.6 cm x 9.7 cm x 16.8 cm)

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

Condition: Ithyphallic figure has been repaired with adhesive and chipping along visible break line, as well as chipping to phallus. Jamacoaque figure is missing proper right arm and right foot. All have nice remaining detail and scattered earthen deposits.