Pre-Columbian

Discussion in 'Tribal Art' started by Steve Shubinski, Jul 14, 2020.

  1. Steve Shubinski

    Steve Shubinski Well-Known Member

    My Mom collected all kinds of small things including a number of pieces that she was calling Pre-Columbian. I will be posting a number of other pieces in the days to come. I know nothing about area so I am hoping you experts can lend a hand. This piece is a head figure. It looks like it was made from clay and carved. I am hoping it is real but would not be surprised to find out that it is not. The dimensions are 1 3/4" tall x 1 3/4" wide. If I am lucky enough and it is real, please give me your best estimates. Thanks in advance.
     

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  2. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

    Pre-Columbian ceramics without provenance are really hard to authenticate, especially from photographs. Reproductions have been made for sale to tourists and collectors since the 19th century. Even museum collections include a significant percentage of incorrectly identified pieces. Your best option would be to find a specialist at a museum with relevant archeological collections who can actually handle the pieces. It will be difficult to find someone during the pandemic, though.
     
  3. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    I agree with 2many.:)
    Your little friend is made in the style of the Tumaco-La Tolita culture of Ecuador and Colombia, ca 500 BC-500 AD. I emphasize the word style, I don't mean the actual culture or period. I will leave authentication up to the expert who can hold it in his or her hands and take a closer look.
    I will show you two of my Tumaco figurines which are somewhat similar to yours. These came from the old private collection of the Cano family, owners of Galería Cano in Bogotá, Colombia. They have been authenticated.

    As you can see these two were made in molds, the details were refined after they came out of the mold. They show age-related wear. The bigger parts, like the heads, are hollow and they have firing marks. The beautiful almond shaped eyes are typical Tumaco:

    upload_2020-7-15_13-55-39.jpeg
    upload_2020-7-15_13-57-4.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2020
  4. JayBee

    JayBee Well-Known Member

    As far as reproductions go, there's an interesting story I read (can't recall the source) about this artist/artisan that was making and selling reproductions of pre-columbian pieces. He got in trouble, if not arrested, at least investigated, because his repros were so good that even museums got fooled, and the authorities thought he was looting historical sites, and selling real antiques. Until he proved he was making them, using all traditional techniques, pigments, etc.
    Have to find that again. Was really interesting.
     
  5. reader

    reader Well-Known Member

    There are or have been fake antiquities in virtually every museum collection that collects the ancient world.
     
  6. JayBee

    JayBee Well-Known Member

    Yes of course! And continue to be and be discovered to this day, especially as new methods of authentication keep being developed.
    Funny when some of them cost a small (or even a big!) Fortune. Then they find out it's a fake! Huh? Really? My $100,000 dollar antique was made yesterday? :hilarious:

     
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  7. reader

    reader Well-Known Member

    Right off the top both The Met and The Getty...
     
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