Tlatilco, Messico Terracotta Figura di testa maschile. 1150-550 a.C. 17 cm H. Con licenza di importazione spagnola.

Male Head Figure

CULTURE: Tlatilco, Mexico

PERIOD: 1150 - 550 BC

MATERIAL: Terracotta

DIMENSIONS: 17 cm height, 25 cm with base

PROVENANCE: Private collection, Philadelphia, United States (1967-1970). With spanish import license.

CONDITION: Good state of conservation, intact head, without restorations, it conserves traces of red pigmentation.


The development of this culture took place in the Basin of Mexico on the banks of Lake Texcoco from 1500 to 500 BC. The name given to denote the culture in náhuatl means “place where things are hidden” or “place of mounds”. This lake zone contained important resources for hunting and fishing. It was near wooded hills and fertile valleys with a rainy and humid climate.

Tlatilco art stands out for its terracotta human figurines. There are two different classes: one of big pieces, hollow and painted in red, and another of small ones which are solid and made with great delicacy and skill. The latter almost always represent young naked women wearing complex headdresses, short skirts or covered with body paint. There are also representations of people with two heads, hunchbacks and deformed or masked individuals. Different attires can be found, different occupations and offices, such as ball game players and contortionists. The ceramic vessels show worked decoration and a limited use of colour. The most common forms, which show clear outside influence, are bowls, vases with no neck, bottles with long necks, vases with three legs and bottles with stirrup handles. Moreover, there are vessels moulded in animal and vegetable forms copied from the surroundings, such as ducks, fish and pumpkins.

Notes:

- The piece includes authenticity certificate.
- The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested, can take between 1-2 weeks maximum.
- The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.
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