Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit, Lagunillas, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. An emaciated, hunchbacked redware mourning figure, sitting in a dramatically hunched over position with his spinal column and ribcage visible beneath his skin, his hands placed upon upraised knees, his abstract visage comprised of closed, round eyes, a straight protruding nose adorned with a nose ring, pointed chin, and petite cup-shaped ears, all delineated on a broad heart-shaped head with a cross-hatched coiffure. Size: 4.125" W x 4.75" H (10.5 cm x 12.1 cm)

In the Pre-Columbian world, hunchbacks were regarded as important figures as their deformities were interpreted as signs that these people were among the chosen few who were touched by the deities and could communicate with the celestial and ancestral realm. A dramatic and meaningful example from this shaft-tomb culture of West Mexico in marvelous condition with so many finely delineated details.

See a similar example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York - Accession Number 2005.91.10

Provenance: ex Dr. David Powers, Palisades, California, USA collection, ex-Sid and Addie Newman, prior to 1980

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#126611

Minor surface wear with a few scratches/scuffs and a tiny nick to his abdominal area. Overall excellent.