MICHOACAN, Mexique, 400-100 av. J.-C. Lot n° 46

Standing woman, h. 10 cm, certificate Jean and Huguette RAMIE, the 17/07/91. This terracotta woman comes from Michoacán, a region bordering Guerrero, overlooking the Pacific coast of Mexico. Voluptuous, she displays generous hips and thighs that contrast strongly with the slenderness of her wasp waist. Her head is upright, her arms are stretched diagonally on either side of her bust and her legs are also spread. The bust is triangular, the waist is high and tight and the belly is small and rounded. This woman wears a headdress with a band in the center of her head and a skullcap on the side, details applied by pastillage that indicate her important status within her clan. Residues of orange-red paint can be seen on the body and the headdress. The face is animated by two tapered, horizontal eyes with raised eyelids. The pointed nose overhangs a half-open mouth. The cheeks are flat and the chin slightly prognathic. The high forehead evokes a ritual deformation of the skull, a custom practiced throughout Mesoamerica among the elites.