**Originally Listed At $400**

Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast of Mexico, Veracruz culture, ca. 500 to 700 CE. A lifelife ceramic bust of a lord or possibly a priest, with a broad face, open mouth, and big, flared headdress. The figure wears two round, flower-like spooled earrings that are well-detailed, as well as a necklace with a broad pectoral. Below that, he wears what looks like a cape over his shoulders. Excavations near the town of Remojadas have revealed two types of impressive, detailed pottery figures: the Sonrientes, the joyous "smiling faces" depicting people of all ages and sexes, and figures like this one, more serious, with elaborate costumes, themes, and sometimes props that all seem to point towards religious or political ceremonies. These figures are often found with the bodies smashed into pieces and the heads largely intact - they were ritually destroyed as burial offerings. Size: 5.1" W x 7.8" H (13 cm x 19.8 cm); 8.4" H (21.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private New York, USA collection

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#125298

Piece is a fragment, with loss to top of headdress and below the middle part of the torso. One part of the cape has been repaired. Handwritten accession number in black ink on the back of the neck.