Ameca-Ezatlán Style Jalisco Terracotta Sculpture of a Kneeling Woman - PF.0847, Origin: Jalisco, Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 18.25" (46.4cm) high x 12.25"  More »

Ameca-Ezatlán Style Jalisco Terracotta Sculpture of a Kneeling Woman - PF.0847, Origin: Jalisco, Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 18.25" (46.4cm) high x 12.25" (31.1cm) wide, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Ameca-Ezatlán, Medium: Terracotta. This magnificent woman radiates a powerful energy which immediately claims our attention. Though of moderate size and only made of clay, everything about her seems grander than life, an affirmation of the vitality of the culture that created her. Very few humans today could rivet our gaze with the force of personality this woman possesses.   « Less

Zapotec Sculpture of a Ferocious Feline - PF.0887, Origin: Veracruz, Mexico, Circa: 300 AD to 600 AD, Dimensions: 20" (50.8cm) high, Catalogue: V4, Collection: Pre-Columbian,  More »

Zapotec Sculpture of a Ferocious Feline - PF.0887, Origin: Veracruz, Mexico, Circa: 300 AD to 600 AD, Dimensions: 20" (50.8cm) high, Catalogue: V4, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Zapotec, Medium: Terracotta. This magnificent sculpture seems to evoke man's deepest fears about the unknown, dark heart of the jungle. A fiercely snarling cat--perhaps a jaguar--rears up on his haunches and extends his menacing claws. Perhaps it was felt that by confronting such a demon, one could conquer it. After all these centuries, the compelling power of the image has not faded.   « Less

Colima Vessel in the Form of an Armadillo - PF.0919, Origin: Western Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high x 13" (33.0cm) wide, Catalogue: V4,  More »

Colima Vessel in the Form of an Armadillo - PF.0919, Origin: Western Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high x 13" (33.0cm) wide, Catalogue: V4, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Colima, Medium: Terracotta. In the mythology of ancient Meso-America, the gods sometimes played strange tricks with nature: men were changed into animals, odd hybrids were created, the world was turned upside-down. This fascinating Armadillo, with his beautifully burnished shell, perhaps played a key role in the deceased's passage into the underworld. He challenges our notions of the conventional world even as he delights both the eye and the hand.   « Less

Nayarit Vessel in the Form of a Pregnant Woman - PF.0930, Origin: Western Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high x 5" (12.7cm) wide, Collection:  More »

Nayarit Vessel in the Form of a Pregnant Woman - PF.0930, Origin: Western Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high x 5" (12.7cm) wide, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Nayarit, Medium: Terracotta.   « Less

Olmec Sculpture of a Standing Man - PF.0937, Origin: Xochipala, Mexico, Circa: 900 BC to 500 BC, Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high, Catalogue: V11, Collection: Pre-Columbian,  More »

Olmec Sculpture of a Standing Man - PF.0937, Origin: Xochipala, Mexico, Circa: 900 BC to 500 BC, Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high, Catalogue: V11, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Olmec, Medium: Terracotta. The Olmecs were the first great civilization of the New World, with an empire that stretched throughout Mexico and Central America. Much of Olmec culture remains shrouded in mystery, a puzzle yet to be deciphered. There is a haunting ambiguity about Olmec art; it appears to operate on many different levels of meaning. This superb little sculpture epitomizes much of that mystery. It depicts a figure that seems part human, part animal, neither old nor young, and neither male nor female. Does this reflect reality or imagination? In the presence of this hypnotic figure, we realize that not everything in life follows a logical pattern.   « Less

Remojadas Sculpture of a Seated Smiling Child - PF.0938, Origin: Mexico, Circa: 600 AD to 900 AD, Dimensions: 9.875" (25.1cm) high, Catalogue: V4, Collection: Pre-Columbian,  More »

Remojadas Sculpture of a Seated Smiling Child - PF.0938, Origin: Mexico, Circa: 600 AD to 900 AD, Dimensions: 9.875" (25.1cm) high, Catalogue: V4, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Remojadas, Medium: Terracotta.   « Less

Ameca-Ezatlán Style Jalisco Terracotta Sculpture of a Seated Man - PF.0960, Origin: Jalisco, Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 16.25" (41.3cm) high x 12"  More »

Ameca-Ezatlán Style Jalisco Terracotta Sculpture of a Seated Man - PF.0960, Origin: Jalisco, Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 16.25" (41.3cm) high x 12" (30.5cm) wide, Catalogue: V4, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Ameca-Ezatlán, Medium: Terracotta. This magnificent dark-red figure, with pierced ears and nose for jewelry now vanished, appears engrossed in telling a tale. Was he a Mesoamerican Homer, a bard, the spinner of epic stories of heroic adventure and fantastic exploits? If we listen carefully, we can almost hear the timeless legends which enthralled his listeners all those centuries ago.   « Less

San Juanito Style Jalisco Terracotta Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.0970, Origin: Western Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 21" (53.3cm) high x 9.75" (24.8cm)  More »

San Juanito Style Jalisco Terracotta Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.0970, Origin: Western Mexico, Circa: 300 BC to 300 AD, Dimensions: 21" (53.3cm) high x 9.75" (24.8cm) wide, Catalogue: V4, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: San Juanito, Medium: Terracotta. This magnificent woman is unquestionably an aristocrat, a person of rank and importance. It is not her jewels which tell us that, or her elaborately patterned clothes and hair. Rather, it is her regal bearing, the poised demeanor of a woman who knows what she wants from the world. A particularly splendid example of Jalisco ceramic art.   « Less

Toltec Plumbate Vessel with a Sculpted Head - PF.1032, Origin: Soconusco, Guatemala, Circa: 1000 AD to 1200 AD, Dimensions: 7.125" (18.1cm) high x 5.25" (13.3cm) wide,  More »

Toltec Plumbate Vessel with a Sculpted Head - PF.1032, Origin: Soconusco, Guatemala, Circa: 1000 AD to 1200 AD, Dimensions: 7.125" (18.1cm) high x 5.25" (13.3cm) wide, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Toltec, Medium: Plumbate. This beautiful vessel with a sculpted head was a very important type of commercial ware for the Toltec civilization. It was produced at only one place, on the Pacific slope of the ancient region known as Soconusco, and the process by which it was made seems to have been a secret. Such sculptural vessels were called plumbate ware, and were highly valued. Plumbate ware vessels were traded to far regions of Mesoamerica. Although this plumbate vessel has a beautiful vitrified surface that has been enhanced with incision lines, it maintains an exceptional hardness that can be scarcely scratched with steel. Thus, this sturdy plumbate vessel retained its beautiful dark color and incised enhancements. The varied effigy vessels from the Toltec consist of gods, men, and animals. This specific head perhaps represents Tlaloc, the rain god. Although the sculpture resembles a human head, one cannot overlook the representational features of the rain god--deeply incised circular eyes and a fringe beard. Representing the powerful god, Tlaloc, this plumbate head holds a great value as it did during the Toltec era. Having been made exclusively in one region during a brief period of time, with a secretive method, this plumbate vessel is a valuable rarity from Mesoamerican history.   « Less

Chinesco Style (Type C) Nayarit Terracotta Standing Figure - PF.1115, Origin: Nayarit, Mexico, Circa: 300 BC, Dimensions: 9.5" (24.1cm) high, Catalogue: V4, Collection:  More »

Chinesco Style (Type C) Nayarit Terracotta Standing Figure - PF.1115, Origin: Nayarit, Mexico, Circa: 300 BC, Dimensions: 9.5" (24.1cm) high, Catalogue: V4, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Chinesco (Type C), Medium: Terracotta. Like a reveler in an ancient masquerade, this mysterious woman appears before us in disguise. What has induced her to hide her true identity through the ages? What secrets might she tell us about the rituals of her vanished world if only we could coax her to speak? She reveals nothing, though charming us even in her silence. In her presence, we will continue to wonder, to imagine, to dream about her mysterious past.   « Less