Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child
Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child

Nayarit Terracotta Mother Holding a Child

17705

$395
/
Shipping calculated at checkout.
  • Free insured US shipping on most pieces
  • Guaranteed authentic, with signed certificate of authenticity
  • 14-day returns

This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

West Mexico, ca. 250 BCE–200 CE  

A tender and expressive Pre-Columbian Nayarit terracotta figure of a mother holding a child across her lap. Modeled in red clay with red and white painted areas over a buff slip and heavy manganese deposits from burial, the seated woman cradles her infant with both arms, wearing armbands, a nose ring, and a banded headdress. Her abstract, rounded forms and gentle downward gaze give the piece a quiet, affecting personality characteristic of the finest Nayarit domestic imagery.

Figures of this type functioned as funerary offerings, placed in the deep shaft tombs of West Mexico to accompany and honor the deceased; maternal and family groups in particular celebrated lineage, fertility, and continuity, serving as enduring companions for the dead and as records of the social world of the living. The figure measures 4 7/8 inches (12.4 cm) in height. The surface retains its original slip with characteristic mineral and manganese encrustation consistent with authentic age and burial.

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, for a closely related Nayarit seated maternal figure of the same shaft-tomb tradition.

Provenance: The Lands Beyond Ltd., 1218 Lexington Avenue, New York (Registry No. AY), with a scan of a cert signed by Kenneth Bower, describing the piece as a Nayarit kneeling woman holding a child, ca. 250 BCE–200 CE.

Every object is guaranteed authentic and as described, and has been legally acquired and imported in accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations on the movement and sale of antiquities. A signed certificate of authenticity with a description and photograph accompanies this object. Any restoration is described on the invoice.

Free insured shipping within the United States on most pieces; oversized works are quoted at checkout. We pack and ship ourselves, usually within two business days. International shipping by USPS or DHL is calculated at checkout; if your country is not listed, write to us. Customs forms state the full value; international buyers are responsible for duties and taxes.

Any object may be returned within 14 days of receipt for a refund or credit. Contact us first. See Buying from Us.

You may also like

Recently viewed

Back to West Mexico