Lot 43

Three Colima Flat Pottery Figures - Nude Male & Female

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Lot 43
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Three Colima Flat Pottery Figures - Nude Male & Female
Three Colima Flat Pottery Figures - Nude Male & Female
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Three Colima Flat Pottery Figures - Nude Male & Female

Estimate: $450 - $675

Current Bid: $225

(1 Bid)
by Artemis Fine Arts
June 5, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A finely varied trio of Colima pottery flat figures presents a compact yet remarkably expressive survey of gender, status, and ceremonial identity in ancient West Mexico. Modeled in the classic flattened style associated with Colima shaft tomb traditions, each figure stands upright, its form reduced yet eloquent, shaped by gesture, adornment, and symbolic detail rather than volume. One figure depicts a nude female with clearly delineated genitalia, wearing earrings and a headdress. Her posture is subtly contrapposto, with the arms drawn inward in a restrained Venus pudica pose, a gesture of modesty that heightens her quiet presence. The modeling emphasizes balance and calm, suggesting fertility, femininity, or ancestral reverence rather than overt narrative. Another figure represents a nude male with an erect phallus, adorned with earrings and a simple headband. Size of largest: 3.1" W x 7.3" H (7.9 cm x 18.5 cm)

The torso and shoulders are marked with stippled appliques interpreted as ceremonial scarification, a visual language commonly associated with ritual status or initiation. His stance is direct and frontal, asserting vitality and potency through form rather than exaggeration.

The shortest of the group adopts the classic Colima gingerbread silhouette, more compact and stout, dressed in a loincloth with applied armbands, a beaded necklace, and a tall conical headdress. This figure's proportions and attire suggest a distinct social or ritual role, perhaps a participant in ceremony or a symbolic attendant within the funerary context.

Colima flat figures such as these were typically placed in shaft tombs as companions for the deceased, embodying archetypes of gender, ritual identity, and social presence. Together, this trio offers a nuanced glimpse into Colima sculptural language, where abstraction, adornment, and posture combine to convey meaning with remarkable economy and enduring force.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Los Angeles, California, USA collection; ex-major gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, primarily acquired between 1985 and 2005

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Item # 200377

  • Condition: Good. All have chipping to feet and nicks and abrasions to surfaces commensurate with age. Otherwise, all three are intact and very nice with good remaining detail and scattered earthen deposits on surface.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000