Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Manabi, Bahia culture, ca. 500 BCE to 500 CE. A mold-formed pottery whistle figure depicting a nude woman standing atop delineated legs. She stands with her arms to her sides, her gaze affixed forward, with elaborately incised linear motifs that are mirrored on each side of the body. Red slip decorates the burnished surfaces while a pair of sodalite beads dangle from earrings made from between 79.42% and 80.84% gold. Two tone holes on the back create a pleasing sound when air is blown into the mouthpiece behind the head. The stylized body is exaggeratedly rounded throughout, and a massive headdress/coiffure, which may be a reference to the practice of skull-shaping known amongst the Bahia, protrudes from the head. Pottery figures such as this were not only used for their musical qualities but to furnish a tombs as guardians. Size: 2.75" L x 3.25" W x 7.9" H (7 cm x 8.3 cm x 20.1 cm); 8.25" H (21 cm) on included custom stand; gold quality: 79.42% to 80.84% (equivalent to 18K+)

Provenance: ex-collection of the late Peter Arnovick, San Francisco, California, USA, acquired before 1995

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#180484

Minor nicks and abrasions, with softening to some finer details, and fading to pigment in scattered areas, otherwise intact and excellent. Great preservation to incised motifs. Whistle still creates a pleasant sound when played. Gold earrings may not be original to the figure but are of the time period.