Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A magnificent matched seated sculpted terracotta couple created by the ancient Nayarit peoples. Both the male and female are finely modeled with elaborate details and skillfully finished in hand-painted red, cream, and orange slip. The male is a musician who in his left hand holds a tortoise shell rasp upon his cross-legged lap with deer antlers implement in his right hand which he uses as a scraping tool for his musical instrument. He is magnificently detailed with, from head to toe, a grand headdress, intricately modeled ear ornaments, a large nose ring, a quadruple-stranded pectoral finely detailed with painted white beads, fanciful armbands, body paint or tattoos of repeated curved striations across his chest, a loin cloth, and even the nailbeds of his fingers and toes. The female sits with her legs outstretched before her, holding a decorated bowl in her right hand. She too shows extensive details including an incised straight coiffure wrapped with a headband painted with a stylized geometric pattern, similarly intricate ear ornaments, the same multi-stranded necklace as her partner, body paint/tattoos across her chest, a decorative band on her left arm, a skirt with a wonderful striated and dotted pattern, and yes those wonderful nailbeds of each digit. Both figures display dramatic countenances with such expressive faces. Just look at those finely delineated coffee-bean shaped eyes framed with strong browlines and upper and lower lids, those prominent noses adorned with grand noserings, and their open mouths with wonderfully delineated teeth! Their open mouths may indicate that this couple is actually chanting or singing. A fabulous pair, and so rare to find a matching male/female pair of this quality,size, and condition. Just marvelous! Size: male measures 6.75" L x 7.75" W x 13" H (17.1 cm x 19.7 cm x 33 cm); female 8.25"L x 7.5"W x 12.5" H (21 cm x 19.1 cm x 31.8 cm)

Provenance: Ex-private Boston, MA collection.

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#112011

Minor restoration to musical instrument left ear of male figure, tiny nicks to tips of a couple of fingers and toes, else intact and near choice. Nice manganese deposits as well.