pre-columbian art

Seated figure

Pre-Columbian means before Columbus, and refers to the indigenous peoples and cultures of the Americas prior to European exploration and colonization—such as the Olmec people, who lived along the Gulf Coast of Mexico from around 1200 to 500 B.C. In addition to large-scale sculpture in stone, they also produced small sculpture in jade and ceramic.

This hollow, hand-modeled figure is an extraordinary example of Olmec art. Like all pre-Columbian ceramics, it is earthenware—that is, fired at a temperature under 1000 degrees Celsius. It is covered with a cream-colored clay slip that has been carefully burnished to produce a smooth, glossy finish. Like most Olmec sculptures, the figure is sexless. The limbs are smooth, rounded forms that in no way reflect the anatomical reality of bones and muscle. The delicately modeled oval face has slanted, slitlike eyes and the characteristically Olmec downturned mouth.

Asian Art