Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 500 BCE to 500 CE. A redware pottery figure of a seated shaman, leaning slightly forward and resting both hands on his knees, and an opening in his head that leads into the hollow body. The horn at the center of his forehead indicates shaman status, and he wears a multi-petal / feather like collar around his neck. The back is slightly hunched as if leaning and staring intently forward in a trance. Colima, located on Mexico’s southwestern coast, was part of the shaft tomb culture during this period, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In this culture, the dead were buried down shafts that were almost always dug beneath a dwelling, probably a family home, and seem to have been used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. This is a figure made to be placed inside those mausoleums, perhaps to mediate between the worlds of the living and the dead, the hollow form also serving as a vessel for offerings. Size: 8" L x 6" W x 11.5" H (20.3 cm x 15.2 cm x 29.2 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired from 2000 to 2010

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#101837

Beautifully burnished surface having strong scattered areas of mineral deposits and root marks. Intact and excellent condition. Choice.