173

173: A Pre-Columbian Colima Drummer Figure Whistle

Currency:USD Category:Antiquities Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
173: A Pre-Columbian Colima Drummer Figure Whistle
Mexico, ca. 200 B.C. – 200 A.D. This example measures 4 ¼” tall x about 2 ¼” wide and depicts a male figure playing a drum. He is rendered in what is known as the Archaic style for earlier Colima figures, with circular, disc-like eyes, pinched nose, and gently curved limbs. He is shown wearing arm/elbow bands/pads and elaborate headgear with a chin strap. Such arm padding and head protection typically suggests a warrior or ballplayer status for the individual. In this case, he is shown with hands resting on a drum, as if in the act of playing during a ceremony, ritual or other event. The whistle is incorporated into the piece from the top and back of the head. There are faint remnants of black striped decoration on the body of the drum and elsewhere on the figure. Reference: See the book “Little People of the Earth; Ceramic Figures from Ancient America” pages 37-38 for comparable examples of the type.

Provenance: Former M. Frederick collection, Kentucky, USA.