Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Pihuamo, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A wonderful pottery male warrior figure wearing a strapped and brimmed helmet and a tunic with exposed genitalia as he holds up a pointed weapon with his right hand, all decorated with black and red pigments. Standing atop thick legs, the figure presents a broad, flattened body with square shoulders and short arms. His huge head faces forward, displaying generously-lidded eyes beneath arched brows, a sharp nose with a septum ring, and a slightly open mouth, all flanked by a pair of ears heavily adorned with ornaments. He lets his left arm fall to his side, clenching his hand in a fist. Note the artist's careful attention to detail, as evident in his delineated fingers, toes, and genitalia. Size: 8.8" W x 13.9" H (22.4 cm x 35.3 cm)

Clay figures like this one are the only remains that we have today of a sophisticated and unique culture in West Mexico - they made no above-ground monuments or sculptures, at least that we know of, which is in strong contrast to developments elsewhere in ancient Mesoamerica. Instead, their tombs were their lasting works of art: skeletons arrayed radially with their feet positioned inward, and clay offerings, like this one, placed alongside the walls facing inward, near the skulls. A large effigy like this one most likely would have flanked the entrance to a tomb in a way that archaeologists have interpreted as guarding. Some scholars have interpreted these dynamic sculptures of the living as a strong contrast to the skeletal remains whose space they shared, as if they mediated between the living and the dead.

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#172892

Professionally repaired with restoration and some break lines slightly visible. Loss of proper left thumb. Surface wear as shown with some nicks and abrasions. Otherwise, intact and excellent with nice remaining pigments and light earthen deposits.