Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Middle Cauca region, Quimbaya culture, Middle Cauca complex, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. An abstract anthropomorphic figure with a wide, ovoid head and a large, square torso. The piece stands independently on skinny legs with flat soles. Tiny hands have been molded as part of the torso, with fingers delineated in the clay. The figure may be intersex, with small breasts and small, projecting genitalia. The facial details are classically Quimbaya: eyes and mouth as narrow slits and a large nose. The body is covered in dark red slip, and pierced holes under the arms may indicate that it once held ritual items. Size: 5.9" W x 10.75" H (15 cm x 27.3 cm)

Stylized figures like this one come from the Cauca River drainage. Most are obviously male, making this a rare find. These figures were included alongside vessels and metal ornaments in shaft and chamber tombs - perhaps as guardians or companions for the deceased.

Provenance: private Vaught collection, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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#121838

Small chip from back of head, otherwise intact. There is a lighter pigment that appears to be overpainting on the soles of the feet. Nice manganese deposits, especially on lower body.