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Details
LOT 2339
Pre-Columbian Veracruz Smiling Terracotta Figure
CIRCA 800-1200 A.D.
8 5/8 in. (364 grams, 22 cm).
A classic, smiling hollow-formed standing nude apart from a loincloth and a collar with amulets; broad brow-band with low-relief ornament; holes to reverse; repaired. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From an old Pre-Columbian collection.
Believed to be ex Christie's, London, 17 October 1996, no.72A (part).
From the private collection of a North West London gentleman.
Literature
For a range of classic religious figures from classic Veracruz, see Favaro, A. The World that Wasn't There, 5 Continents, Milan, 2019.
Footnotes
These figures known as smiling figures from the Veracruz are associated with religious ceremonies and were often purposefully broken prior to burial.
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AUCTIONS:
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