Standing female figure

Ceramic figures from Nayarit and Jalisco have been divided into several sub-styles (Long, 1966; von Winning, 1974a) including the ‘San Sebastian Red’ sub-style, of which this figure is an example. These can be among the most dramatic sculptures from ancient Mesoamerica, with massive forms and enormous feet creating a sense of monumentality. The head is typically elongated, with extremely prominent ears and an open mouth displaying teeth. The rather spindly arms of this figure, also a common feature of the style, provide a startling contrast to the rest of the body.

This female figure wears a wrap-around skirt with a vertical band of geometric designs, perhaps representing a woven textile. She wears a hairband, nose-ring and armbands. Hairbands (rodete) are still worn by indigenous women in parts of Guatemala and Mexico (Leyenaar, 1981: pl.6, figs. 52, 54-5, 60, 165). However, the small mantle over her arm is a type most often seen on male figures in West Mexican ceramics.

In contrast to Colima ceramics, where women are not a frequent subject, they feature prominently in the corpus of Nayait art, both individually and as part of male-female pairs. Gallagher (1983: 28) has suggested that the frequency of these depictions may support archaeological and ethno-historical evidence suggesting a social system based on bilateral lineages and a relatively high status for women (see Weigand, 1974; Brand, 1971: 638).

Joanne Pillsbury and Ted. J. J. Leyenaar. In: Steven Hooper (ed.). 1997. Catalogue to the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection. University of East Anglia.