100 BC - 250 AD
Height 13"
Provenance: Sidney Newman, Beverly Hills, CA, co-author of Hasso von Winning's "Shaft Tomb Figures of West Mexico" 1974 Acquired in the 1960s.
Elegance and exquisite manufacture are qualities that make Colima ceramic vessels attractive to the modern eye. The beautiful finish of this dwarf hunchback figure makes it a remarkable example of the Colima tradition. Red slip paint was applied when the piece had air dried, after which it was carefully burnished for hours with a soft stone before finally being fired. The misshapen body of the figure is marked by a prominent hump on the back and a blade-like deformation of both tibia bones. He has a long nose, thin lips and eyes, and pierced ear lobes, and his head is covered by a tightly fitting skull cap. In the West Mexican tradition, hunchbacks were believed to have magical or shamanic powers. They lived apart from the rest of society and were cared for by attendants. Traces of mineral deposits and intact. A masterpiece with great character and form.
100 BC - 250 AD
Height 13"
Provenance: Sidney Newman, Beverly Hills, CA, co-author of Hasso von Winning's "Shaft Tomb Figures of West Mexico" 1974 Acquired in the 1960s.
Elegance and exquisite manufacture are qualities that make Colima ceramic vessels attractive to the modern eye. The beautiful finish of this dwarf hunchback figure makes it a remarkable example of the Colima tradition. Red slip paint was applied when the piece had air dried, after which it was carefully burnished for hours with a soft stone before finally being fired. The misshapen body of the figure is marked by a prominent hump on the back and a blade-like deformation of both tibia bones. He has a long nose, thin lips and eyes, and pierced ear lobes, and his head is covered by a tightly fitting skull cap. In the West Mexican tradition, hunchbacks were believed to have magical or shamanic powers. They lived apart from the rest of society and were cared for by attendants. Traces of mineral deposits and intact. A masterpiece with great character and form.
