Lot 27

Colima & Jalisco Pottery Nude Female Figures, Group of 3

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Lot 27
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Colima & Jalisco Pottery Nude Female Figures, Group of 3
Colima & Jalisco Pottery Nude Female Figures, Group of 3
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Colima & Jalisco Pottery Nude Female Figures, Group of 3

Estimate: $800 - $1,200

Starting Bid: $400

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 6, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima and Jalisco, ca. 300 BCE – 300 CE. A trio of buff-clay female figures from the shaft-tomb cultures of West Mexico, each rendered with frank attention to the nude body. The largest, of Colima type, stands with legs pressed together and short arms flung outward, her genitalia clearly delineated, her face flattened beneath a low fillet cap. The two smaller Jalisco figures are more compact, their hands drawn toward rounded, swelling bellies, a gesture that likely signals pregnancy and the fertility so central to this iconography. Slit eyes, applied ear ornaments, and burnished russet slip animate their forms. Modeled by hand rather than molded, such figures accompanied the dead in deep shaft tombs, where women, ancestors, and the promise of regeneration were given lasting ceramic voice. Size of largest (Colima): 4" W x 8.1" H (10.2 cm W x 20.6 cm H).

The shaft-tomb tradition of West Mexico (Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit) produced no monumental architecture but instead buried its dead in deep vertical shafts opening onto lateral chambers, furnished with hollow and solid ceramic figures. Female figures with emphasized sexual characteristics and gestures toward the belly are frequently interpreted as fertility or ancestral imagery, though their precise ritual meaning remains debated. The elongated limbs and abstracted, mask-like faces of the Jalisco examples contrast with the fuller, more naturalistic modeling of Colima work, letting the two regional idioms be read side by side.

Provenance: private Phoenix, Arizona, USA collection; ex-Dr. G. Smith collection, San Diego, CA, USA, acquired 2010; ex-Boulder, CO, USA collection, acquired 2000

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Item # 203559

  • Condition: Midsize figure has been drilled for display. Most petite has been repaired with restoration over break lines. All have expected surface wear. Otherwise, largest is intact and all are in good condition with nice detail and scattered mineral deposits.

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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