Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE

Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE

$5,000.00
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Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
  • Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE

Standing Hunchback Female Figure – Protoclassic Period, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE

$5,000.00

An authentic Pre-Columbian pottery figure from West Mexico, attributed to the Colima culture and dating to the Protoclassic period (circa 100 BCE – 250 CE). The figure represents a standing female with a pronounced hunchback — a subject that appears with notable frequency in West Mexican figural ceramics and carries significant meaning within the Colima artistic tradition.

Hunchback Figures in Colima Ceramics

Representations of physical difference — including hunchbacks, dwarfs, and figures with visible disabilities or conditions — appear across the shaft tomb cultures of West Mexico and are understood by scholars as deliberate and meaningful depictions rather than caricatures or curiosities. In ancient Mesoamerican cosmology, individuals with unusual physical characteristics were often regarded as possessing special spiritual status, serving as intermediaries between the human and supernatural realms.

Within the Colima tradition specifically, hunchback figures are among the most studied and collected subjects. Their recurrence in shaft tomb contexts suggests they held particular ritual or commemorative significance, possibly representing specific individuals, spiritual intermediaries, or figures of social importance within the community. The Colima potter’s commitment to physical realism and human diversity is one of the qualities that distinguishes West Mexican ceramics from the more idealized figural traditions of central Mexico.

This example is modeled with the confident, volumetric form and grounded stance characteristic of the finest Colima figural work. The solid construction, expressive bodily presence, and careful attention to posture and proportion reflect the high level of craft associated with Protoclassic Colima ceramics. Figures of this type were placed in the elaborate shaft tombs of West Mexico, where they served symbolic or commemorative roles connected to the deceased and the afterlife journey.

Comparable hunchback figures from the Colima tradition are held in major institutional collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Princeton University Art Museum, and the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City.

Artwork Details

Culture: Colima
Origin: West Mexico
Period: Protoclassic, circa 100 BCE – 250 CE
Material: Ceramic
Height: 11 in (27.9 cm)
Width: 7½ in (19.1 cm)
Depth: 5½ in (14 cm)

Condition

Repair to the right arm. Otherwise stable and well-preserved for age. Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.

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