Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast of Mexico, Vera Cruz culture, ca. 500 to 700 CE. A seated figure of a woman, dramatic and lifelike. She wears a high-waisted skirt, a beaded necklace, and two hollow spools for earrings. A huge beaded headdress sits atop her head. Her face appears slack, with heavy-lidded, partially closed eyes, and a mouth that is slightly open; perhaps this is indicative of ritual shamanistic drug use. Women are the most commonly depicted members of ancient Veracruz society, perhaps indicating that they had a high status in society. Size: 9.85" W x 14.5" H (25 cm x 36.8 cm) This figure demonstrates the amazing style of the Veracruz, who created realistic ceramic figures (see here, for example, the depicted stretched skin around the edges of the earrings and the careful shape of the fingertips). Excavations near the modern Mexican town of Remojadas have revealed two types of impressive, detailed pottery figures from the Veracruz period: the Sonrientes, the joyous "smiling faces", and figures like this one, more serious, mostly adult figures, with elaborate costumes, themes, and sometimes props that all seem to point towards religious or political ceremonies. These figures are often found with the bodies smashed into pieces and the heads largely intact; they were ritually destroyed as burial offerings. Their clothing suggests that they depict people of import in society, maybe priests or nobility. Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-New York, USA collection of Saul Tuttman & Gregory Siskind 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. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #136346