Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast of Mexico, Western Yucatan Peninsula, Jaina/Campeche, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A gorgeous and hand-built pottery burial figure presenting a with dignified posture and standing with wide feet atop an integral circular plinth. The bold personage dons an ankle-length kilt that is knotted in the front with a wide belt and folds both arms atop a nude chest as if waiting for his attendees. The man is embellished with a large-beaded necklace and discoid earspools with teardrop-shaped ornamentation to further emphasize his importance and regality. Heavy-lidded eyes, a prominent nose, thin lips, and slightly concave cheeks comprise the stern countenance beneath a grand headdress with projecting upper elements and a powdery blue central fillet. A fantastic example of Jaina funerary artistry! Size: 2.375" W x 6.5" H (6 cm x 16.5 cm); 7.125" H (18.1 cm) on included custom stand.

Jaina figures, from an island off the Yucatan peninsula, are noted for their lifelike faces and their immense attention to detail. Scholars believe that sculptors modeled these figures' clothing on real clothing worn by the elite during the Late Classic Maya period. These figures likely represented actual people, were produced in Campeche, and then were brought to Jaina Island to be buried with the deceased. Fascinatingly, the people around Jaina are the only people in southeastern Mesoamerica who put human figures into graves. Everywhere else in the region, figures have been found solely in domestic contexts. The Spaniard Diego de Landa, who recorded details of Maya life shortly after the Spanish Conquest, wrote that the artists who created pieces like this one lived lives of religious isolation and ritual - fasting and abstaining.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private Goldman Family collection, San Francisco, California, USA, acquired in 2006; ex-Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, USA; ex-Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA

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#164706

Repair to back portion of integral plinth with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Base is mostly restored. Losses to tips of some headdress elements as shown. Minor abrasions and encrustations to limbs, body, and head, with light fading to pigment. TL drill holes on back of right arm and beneath base.