Colima Redware Seated Hunchback Figure, Protoclassic to Early Classic Period, ca. 100 BCE – 250 CE

This finely modeled redware figure depicts a seated hunchback with arms resting on bent knees, rendered in a characteristic two-tone slip with traces of black mineral deposits from long burial. The facial features are sensitively formed, showing heavy-lidded eyes, a broad nose, and a slightly parted mouth, conveying a contemplative or trance-like expression. The figure wears a pendant necklace and has pierced ears, likely once adorned with ear ornaments. A short collar-shaped spout rises from the crown of the head, suggesting that the figure may have served a ritual or effigy vessel function.

Figures of hunchbacks appear frequently in West Mexican shaft tomb cultures, especially within the Colima corpus, where they are thought to represent individuals with spiritual or shamanic significance. Their physical deformity was often viewed as a mark of divine favor, and hunchbacks are sometimes shown as musicians, dancers, or intermediaries between worlds. 

Medium: Terracotta

Dimensions: Height: 10 1/2 inches (26.67 cm), Width: 7 inches (17.78)

Condition: Intact and in very good condition overall, with small chip to the back of the right ear and scattered mineral deposits. A fine, well-preserved example with strong surface color.

Provenance: Private collection of Ronald and Maralyn Biderman, Toronto, acquired from The Lands Beyond, New York, mid-1980s, with a copy of original receipt included, thence by descent.

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