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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Pre-Columbian Masterpieces : Ameca-Ezatlán Style Jalisco Terracotta Sculpture of a Kneeling Woman
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Ameca-Ezatlán Style Jalisco Terracotta Sculpture of a Kneeling Woman - PF.4378
Origin: Jalisco, Mexico
Circa: 300
BC
to 300
AD
Dimensions:
25.25" (64.1cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Style: Ameca-Ezatlán
Medium: Terracotta
Location: United States
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| Description |
Wonderfully expressive and very mysterious this
figure of a woman is immediately appealing, and
yet perplexing. She possesses definite
characteristics of her type, with the highly
elongated face, high forehead, crossed
headband, and short arms with pellets on the
shoulders. These pellets have been variously
interpreted, but probably represent
ornamentation worn by members of the elite
classes, including warriors and shamans. This
particular woman wears a buff colored skirt and
is naked from the waist up. Her left hand is
pressed against the side of her forehead, while
her right hand extends outwards (a gesture
found only in female sculptures). The variation in
texture and coloration, ranging from buff to red
to gray, gives dimension and added character.
Her expression, however, is the most striking
aspect with the eyes staring widely and mouth
open showing an impressive set of teeth? It is
possible the sculptor has depicted a shaman
involved in a ritual trance, which is reaching out
to the unknown while still firmly secured to this
earth. The power of this figure brings us
immediately in touch with a lost culture in a way
only art can achieve.
- (PF.4378)
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