|
HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Chupicuaro Art : Chupicuaro Sculpture of a Standing Woman
|
 |
|
|
|
Chupicuaro Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.1979
Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico
Circa: 500
BC
to 200
BC
Dimensions:
4.25" (10.8cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Style: Chupicuaro
Medium: Terracotta
$4,800.00
Location: United States
|
|
|
| Photo Gallery |
|
|
| Description |
|
The remains of a once vibrant culture are now submerged under a lake. Fortunately,
excavations in the 1940's on the site were able to uncover sufficient artifacts to give us
an intriguing picture of people who lived there centuries ago. Chupicuaro was the
elaborate burial ground of a village above the Lerma River in the state of Guanajuato,
eighty miles northwest of the Valley of Mexico. The abundant offerings of pottery, jade,
and figurines discovered there attest to a flourishing artistic culture. One of the most
endearing types of the clay objects is the small female figures, or 'pretty ladies'. They
typically show a naked female with short arms, extended stomach and a fancy coiffure or
headdress.
This charming woman with her elaborate
hairstyle belongs to a very ancient tradition.
Since humanity first began to create sculptures,
the female nude has been an essential subject.
The reasons for this are as much religious as
aesthetic. Fertility, prosperity, and the continuity
of life itself were naturally associated with the
female. This voluptuous woman was no doubt
intended to evoke such ideas when she was
buried in an ancient tomb. Her unblushing
nakedness offers the promise of life to come, a
promise which has been fulfilled by time.
- (PF.1979)
|
| |
|
