Large Chinesco Female Figure, Lagunillas Type E Protoclassic, ca. 100 B.C. - A.D. 250

kneeling in a deep trance with her head tilting to the left, her lower lip pulled in, the eyes barely open and highlighted by darkened shadows, and cheeks marked by painted striations, the finely striated coiffure radiating above, and the naked body with pronounced navel, adorned solely with small nosering, slender arm bands and string loincloth, the red hand on her right breast; covered in creamy slip with details in red and black. 

Galerie Mermoz, Paris
Marion and Mark Lynton, acquired from the above in 1979

Cologne, Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Out of the Depths, Tomb Figures from West Mexico, July 4, 1986-January 11, 1987

Out of the Depths, Tomb Figures from West Mexico, Foreword by Peter T. Furst, Cologne, 1986, Fig. 14

 

Excellent, intact with fine burnish, coloring and modeling. Extensive manganese deposits overall.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This is the largest and finest of the Chinesco figures in the Lynton collection. She  conveys the utmost serene and confident demeanor that is the hallmark of this Lagunillas style. The cream-slipped figures share a profound meditative quality in their consistent style of posture and luxurious burnished slips highlighted by minimal jewelry and body tattoos. On this figure, the iconic 'red hand' is on the right breast, ritual scarification on the cheeks is marked by vertical and parallel lines and the delicate pierced ears may have held perishable ornaments. 

Townsend describes the female figures in a rite of passage-  the 'ritual of nudity'. "In such ritual processes young women pass through the three stages of withdrawal, transition and reincorporation, marking the passage from ... childhood into the world where courtship and marriage are welcomed." (Townsend ed. 1998:123).