Veracruz Remojadas Sonriente Smiling Figure, Raised Arms, ex-Bonham's

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Veracruz, Remojadas. A hollow pottery figure of a smiling male, one of the "sonrientes" of Gulf Coast Veracruz. He stands with his legs apart and his pot belly pushed forward, and both arms are raised with open palms facing the viewer. His broad grin shows two prominent front teeth, and wrinkle lines run across both cheeks. He wears a trapezoidal headdress with pointed side flaps, ear ornaments, and a necklace of large round beads. A breechcloth crosses his hips, and its front panel carries a scrolling emblem. The surface is burnished buff to salmon, and remains of white pigment pick out the eyes, teeth, and costume details. The raised-arm gesture may show dance or celebration, though how these figures were used is still uncertain. Sonrientes, Spanish for "smiling ones," are among the best-known ceramic figures of Classic period central Veracruz. Many come from the Remojadas region and from sites like Nopiloa and Los Cerros. Their faces were often pressed from molds, and the bodies and costumes were then finished by hand, so each figure looks individual even though the type is consistent. The headdresses and breechcloths often carry stamped or incised emblems whose meaning is not yet understood. Why these figures smile is still debated. Some scholars see them as dancers or performers at festivals. Others link them to ritual intoxication or offerings, and some connect them to deities of music, flowers, and pleasure. None of these readings has been proven. The figures are among the rare cases in ancient American art where open, toothy happiness was the main subject. Item # 205630

Estimate:£453.54

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