Label
Western Mexico Shaft Tomb Culture
Seated Woman, possibly from Nayarit, Mexico, c. 300 B.C.-c. 400 A.D.
ceramic
Gift of the Estate of E.J. (Tex) Erp, 1995
The name of the person or people who made this figure is not known. Its origin is also problematic because it has no provenance, i.e. history of location/ownership. Its subject and style suggest that it was found in a shaft tomb in the Mexican state of Nayarit. Many such tombs are found in the western states of Jalisco, Nayarit, and Colima. A typical shaft tomb has a vertical shaft ten to sixty-five feet deep that opens onto one or more horizontal chambers, each of which may contain multiple burials. Thus, these tombs seem to have been used for generations of a single family or lineage. Since they are filled with extensive grave goods, such as ceramic statues, pots, jewelry and other household items, it is assumed that they were for elite members of society. The tombs frequently hold large, hollow-bodied figures like this one. In most cases the occupant of the tomb and its accompanying statue are of the same gender. At times, they have similar hairdos, jewelry and other ornamentation. Thus these figures are assumed to represent the deceased or at least his/her status in society. A large number of these sculptures depict nude women with small limbs, thick bodies and visible genitals, which are emphasized by ornamentation of the lower body, as in the decoration of this figure’s knees. They indicate the deceased’s societal role as a mature bearer of children, but they also may refer more generally to a female earth goddess who embodies the idea of the generation of life.
For further reading:
Kristi Butterwick. Heritage of Power: Ancient Sculpture from West Mexico: The Andrall E. Pearson Family Collection. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts, 2004.
Richard Townsend, ed. Ancient West Mexico: Art and Archaeology of the Unknown Past. Chicago: The Art Institute, 1998.