Large Extraordinary Authentic Olmec Terracotta Seated Baby 1000-600BCE 14.3" WD

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Seller: Top-Rated Seller cobcoins ✉️ (492) 100%, Location: Saint Petersburg, Florida, US, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 354958388503 Large Extraordinary Authentic Olmec Terracotta Seated Baby 1000-600BCE 14.3" WD. NOTEWORTHY (a similar example hammered for for $89,625 at Christie's, New York "Important Pre-Columbian Art: A European Private Collection" auction (Live Auction 1537, November 12th, 2004, lot 12); Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Olmec civilization, ca. 1000-600 BCE (BC). This stunning terracotta figure of a seated human baby is posed with legs akimbo while resting both hands on chubby thighs. Enveloped in lovely remains of white, beige, and gray slip on a red ground, the child presents a round belly, a recessed navel, and no visible sex. The plump arms and legs terminate in petite feet and hands that emphasize the shape of the body. The sizeable head displays the expressive visage of a crying infant - with narrow, squinting eyes, a broad nose, and a large, gaping mouth showing a few upper teeth and full lips. A pair of naturalistic ears flank the face, each featuring pierced lobes for suspending ornaments, sitting just below the elongated forehead. Note the artist's careful attention to detail, as evident by not only the delineated fingers and fleshy folds of the body and limbs, but also the realism of the countenance - portrayed so vividly the viewer is left surprised their own ears do not ring with the piercing wails of a child! Size: 14.3" W x 12.8" H (36.3 cm x 32.5 cm). Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Figures of this style are known as "baby face," with plump bodies and chubby, pouty facial features. Infants are a recurring theme from Olmec art, and this one would likely have once been white-slipped to match other known examples. The shape of their heads - like this one - have been attributed to deliberate skull shaping From: https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/2015/olmec-babies Who exactly are these babies? Several possibilities exist. These could be portraits of elite babies, infantilized portraits of actual individuals, idealized portraits of deities or mythological characters, or some other type of ritual agent. They could be memorials to infants that left this world too early, or representative emblems of whole lineages. Regardless of the function or intent of the artists, they made the hollow sculptures very lifelike. The Metropolitan Museum's baby playfully gazes upward and raises a finger to its mouth, as if playing on the ground as the center of attention during a family gathering. In some cases the ceramic effigies may have served as substitutes for actual infants in a sacrificial or dedicatory ritual, as there is compelling evidence of Olmec infant sacrifice or ceremonial burials Condition: Figure is repaired and restored from numerous pieces and in the process was refired (which eliminates the option of conducting a TL test), with overpaint along the repair lines and approximately 5% new material. Much of the original pigment remains on the figure. When originally acquired by Artemis the piece was unassembled in a cardboard box where it had sat for almost 50 years. There were areas of root marks and liberal dendrites that were removed by the initial buyer during the restoration process. Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection, purchased on July 11, 2019; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA, acquired before 1974 Released from private collection that has sold in New York City galleries as well as top auction houses-Guaranteed Authentic All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Returns & exchanges Refunds and Exchanges We accept returns within 30 days of the purchase of the item. However, the buyer is responsible for shipping the item back to us and that cost will not be refunded. We will refund your money for the item as soon as we receive the item back. Please send the item back to us with tracking or insured. Powered by ExportYourStore.com
  • Condition: Figure is repaired and restored from numerous pieces and in the process was refired (which eliminates the option of conducting a TL test), with overpaint along the repair lines and approximately 5% new material. Much of the original pigment remains on the figure. When originally acquired by Artemis Gallery (well respected antiquities dealer) the piece was unassembled in a cardboard box where it had sat for almost 50 years. There were areas of root marks and liberal dendrites that were removed by the initial buyer during the restoration process.
  • Color: tan
  • Original/Reproduction: Original
  • Material: Pottery
  • Culture: Latin American
  • Maker: Olmec Culture

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