Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Jamacoaque (Jama Coaque) culture, ca. 500 CE. A mold-made hollow terracotta standing figure of a warrior with an amazing headdress containing a small head - possibly a child's skull, or maybe a monkey. The elaborate clothing worn by the figure includes a tasseled kilt, leg wrappings, a heavy necklace that hangs to his waist, and similarly enormous earrings. What a fascinating figure! Meisch writes, in "Costume and History in Highland Ecuador" (2011), "Jama-Coaque male headdresses are often extremely elaborate and covered with whole birds, feather panaches, or whole shells… One new aspect of headdresses, seen in all [Ecuadorian] coastal cultures of the time, is a pair of long flaps attached to the upper part of the headdresses and falling to shoulder length or even lower. These flaps are usually decorated, often with beads or sequins…" Headdresses, jewelry, and styles of dress were all signifiers of rank and social status within many pre-Columbian societies; to a member of the Jamacoaque, this figure probably had even deeper meaning. Size: 5" W x 7.45" H (12.7 cm x 18.9 cm)

Provenance: Ex-Adeon Gallery, Chicago, IL, acquired prior to 1970.

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#118653

Repair to mid-section and one arm; small crack on lower part of headdress that seems stable.