Native American, Southern United States, Mississippian culture, ca. 1140 to 1420 CE. A fine example of Mississippian sculpture, this figurine's fine workmanship and detail are evident in its exceptional human form. Facial decorations include raised circular eyes and a protrusive rectangular nose which slightly flares at its bottom. The figure has an ambivalent look on its face accented by a pair of pouted almond form lips. The head is in the shape of a rounded trapezoid adorned with a pair of minimalist tubular ears on each side. This is an uncommon rendition of this figural typology for the period because of the absence of engraved hairstyling but most pertinent: its depiction of a pregnant anthropoidal figure - a pregnancy made apparent by its hands positioning on its bulbous abdomen. Size: 3" L x 2.5" W x 5" H (7.6 cm x 6.4 cm x 12.7 cm)

The conventional position for posing the human figure for the Mississippians was the kneeling position with both knees forward, legs folded under the body. Positioning of the hands varied with the geographic location of village sites, although the conventional hands-on-knees position prevailed. Human effigies and vessels represent the culmination of hundreds of years of Mississippian art, of creating stronger pottery using temper, discovering how to fire it, and creating pigments. These vessels and effigies often depicted pronounced, hunched back characters. Some researchers have speculated that this is because people with that condition had a special role in society - they were considered magical or shamanic, for example.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report is available to the buyer upon request.

Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection, purchased May 30, 2021; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private Kansas City, Missouri, USA collection; ex-John Townsend collection, formed in the 1970s and earlier

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#170799

Light restoration to back of neck. Restoration efforts undetectable to the naked eye. Tiny TL drill holes on bottom, cheek, and back of neck. Otherwise in remarkable condition.