Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast Mexico, Veracruz (Vera Cruz), ca. 3rd to 7th century CE. A hand-built pottery head of an elder, perhaps an elite or a shaman, with a prominent aquiline nose and a jutting bottom lip. To the sides of the sunken mouth are incised lines to indicate wrinkles or sagging jowls. Recessed ovoid eyes are detailed with applied pupils, and the entire face is covered in a thick layer of jet-black bituminous pigment called chapapote. A broad, simple headband caps the wide brow and imbues the head with a regal presentation. Size: 6.25" L x 4" W x 5.5" H (15.9 cm x 10.2 cm x 14 cm); 8" H (20.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection, purchased July 3, 2019; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

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#170675

Fragment of a larger piece as shown. Losses to chin, chips to headdress. Light fading to some areas of bitumen, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits and traces of chapapote pigment throughout.