P-4252 AN EXCEPTIONAL COLIMA SEATED HUNCHBACK SHAMAN FIGURE

Protoclassic, Circa 100 B.C. to A.D. 250.

Perhaps poised to throw an object in his right clenched fist, he holds the left hand to his mouth. It has been said to the scholar, Peter J. First, by a Huichol shaman in 1973, that blowing into the hand is a ritual act performed during healing ceremonies, the Huichol being contemporary Mexican shamanistic tribal society inheriting rituals from the ancient past of West Mexico.

He wears the "Horn of Power" secured by straps, a toga-like covering over his torso, and a simple pendant or neck adornment. Beautifully burnished, his surface patina is superb, with multiple manganese oxide inclusions and other ancient encrustations.

ORIGIN

West Coast of Mexico

DIMENSIONS

Height: 13 inches (31.2 cm.); Width: 12 inches ( 30.5 cm.)

PROVENANCE

Provenance: 1) Stendahl Gallery, Hollywood, California, sold in 1991. This object is sold with a copy of the receipt from Stendahl Gallery, having sold for $12,780.

2) The Frederick Waingrow Collection of Pre-Columbian Art, Los Angeles, California, Formed in the1980s-1990s.

CONDITION

Excellent.