Colima Vessel in the Form of a Seated Man - PF.2914,Origin: Western Mexico,Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD,Dimensions: 10" (25.4cm) high,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Colima,Medium: Terracotta. This bold, seated male figure is a funerary vessel from pre-classic Colima, Mexico. The vessel came from a shaft tomb, a predominant cultural trait of pre-classic West Mexico. The vessel is a clay figure, which has been red-slipped, burnished, and then fired. Such polished surface of the fired, hollow clay shows that much advanced firing skill was used to make this vessel figure. The details of the figure are represented by the incision marks. The hair, decorations on the headdress, and the marks around the neck are all rendered with incisions. The protruding face and bold, round eyes show that the figure was an active position. He wears a helmet with a horn, which suggests that he was a shaman involved in rituals. The clay figure also shows unusual features such as hollow left hand and right hand holding a small object. Such elements add mystical quality to the already magical shaman figure. Rituals and funerary practices being important elements in life, this pre-classic male shaman figure had an essential role in pre-classic Colima.

Antiquities
Ancient Central America & Mexico