Nayarit Standing Couple

The Miller Family Collection, Chicago, acquired by 1973 (listed in the May 8, 1973 appraisal of the collection)

Thence by descent to the present owner

The honoring and celebration of ancestors was a primary means of reinforcing lineage and power in ancient West Mexico. As seen in the ceramic sculptures of Nayarit, the ‘marriage couples’ represented the founding ancestors, with the classic roles of men and women prominently portrayed. 

This tall and broad couple have bright and aware expressions, conveyed by their large rimmed eyes and open mouths - typical features of ancient Ixtlán style. Each figure is adorned with multiple necklaces cascading in graduated lengths, a slender headband, a thick nose ornament, and large ear ornaments of carved shell or stone. The male figure has a woven satchel hanging on his right side, and the woman is wearing a finely patterned wrap skirt. He raises his short ax and she holds a small bowl; the two objects are gendered, emblematic of the pair's individual roles in the community as respective protector and provider.

Like their nearly identical facial features, physical similarities between the parties may be a reference to well-known ancestors: “[...] the sculptures are embodiments of the tales of ancestors handed down by generations of their kin.” ( Kristi Butterwick, Heritage of Power, Ancient Sculpture from West Mexico, The Andrall E. Pearson Family Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004, p. 32). 

Cf. For a couple in a similar style, see Richard Townsend, ed., Ancient West Mexico: Art and Archaeology of the Unknown Past, Chicago, 1998, p. 91, fig. 3. See also Robert B. Pickering, Cheryl Smallwood-Roberts, West Mexico, Ritual and Identity, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, 2016, cover and p. 76, cat. nos. 102, 103.