**Originally Listed At $800**

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Vera Cruz, ca. 100 BCE to 800 CE. This is a pottery standing "Sonriente" figure (perhaps male?) from the Veracruz region of Gulf Coast Mexico. Sonrientes, or "smiling faces", are the most famous pottery from this period in Veracruz (known as Remojadas for its keystone archaeological site). Like this one, they depict wide, smiling, childlike faces, often with teeth showing. This figure wears a pectoral and large, dangling earrings. Atop his head is an elaborate headdress. Comes with custom stand. Size: 5" W x 6.4" H (12.7 cm x 16.3 cm)

Smiling faces are very rare in Mesoamerican art, but in Remojadas and the surrounding area, there are thousands of these Sonrientes figures, leading to a mystery for archaeologists. Some have suggested that the smiles are the result of consuming the alcoholic beverage pulque, or taking hallucinogenic drugs; others see them as representing performers. They are unique to their culture and instantly recognizable. This is a fine example!

Provenance: Ex-Bruce Rogers collection, San Francisco, CA. USA, acquired 1960s, to current owner by inheritance

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#118921

Well done repairs around neck and one arm; they are almost impossible to see. Small chips and surface wear as shown.