Lot Essay
Facial hair is quite uncommon among Indian populations, here the goatee indicates the special rank of the dancer.
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MIDDLE PRECLASSIC, CA. 1150-550 B.C.
Details
AN OLMEC/TLATILCO DANCING FIGURE
Middle Preclassic, ca. 1150-550 B.C.
In a dramatic pose, balanced on one leg with head thrown back and shoulders turned abruptly to the right, with the right arm wrapped around the chest and left hand extented to the back of the hip in a dancer's posture, bearded head tossed upward with Tlatilco features, lips parted and elongated eyes, wearing an abbreviated loincloth and stippled coiffure, and with decorative details in red and ochre pigment.
Height 4 7/8 in. (12 cm.)
Middle Preclassic, ca. 1150-550 B.C.
In a dramatic pose, balanced on one leg with head thrown back and shoulders turned abruptly to the right, with the right arm wrapped around the chest and left hand extented to the back of the hip in a dancer's posture, bearded head tossed upward with Tlatilco features, lips parted and elongated eyes, wearing an abbreviated loincloth and stippled coiffure, and with decorative details in red and ochre pigment.
Height 4 7/8 in. (12 cm.)
Literature
G. Berjonneau, E. Delataille et Jean-Louis Sonnery, Chefs d'Oeuvres Inédits de l'Art Précolombien, Boulogne, 1985, pl. 129.