227 - A statuette depicted standing, with slightly bent knees and hands on her hips. The head, with large eyes—presumably originally inlaid—is topped by a woolen headband with hair inside it. It is adorned with a fabric cape draped over the shoulders and cords wrapped around parts of the legs, arms, and neck.

A statuette depicted standing, with slightly bent knees and hands on her hips. The head, with large eyes—presumably originally inlaid—is topped by a woolen headband with hair inside it. It is adorned with a fabric cape draped over the shoulders and cords wrapped around parts of the legs, arms, and neck. Hardwood with a brown patina; traces of red pigments. Inlay between the legs. Height: 24.4 cm. Peru. Southern Coast. Proto-Nazca civilization. 300–100 BCE. Provenance: Sotheby’s New York, May 2, 1990, lot no. 12. Private collection, Brussels Passed down through the family This anthropomorphic representation is in a remarkably naturalistic style. Here, in addition to the clothing and facial paint, one can see, through the realistic facial expression and the anatomically correct rendering of the body, that the artist went far beyond the usual approach to break free from the highly stylized classical stereotype that typically characterizes Andean sculpture. Wooden sculptures from the Nazca culture are extremely rare.