175 - Standing “Pretty Lady”

Standing “Pretty Lady” Brown and beige terracotta, signs of age, chips. Tlatilco, Type D1, Valley of Mexico, Mexico, Early Formative period, 1200–900 B.C. 13.5 x 7.5 cm Provenance: Former Mythes et Légendes Gallery, Paris. Certificate by Michel Cohen dated December 20, 1979. Tlatilco, a farming village in the Valley of Mexico contemporary with the earliest Olmec centers, yielded hundreds of hand-molded figurines from beneath the floors of its houses—among the oldest depictions of humans in Mesoamerica. The most famous, known as “pretty ladies” (Type D), depict young nude women with elaborate hairstyles, often enhanced with paint. Their function, lacking written records to clarify it, remains a subject of debate: fertility figures according to early scholars; a maize goddess or women embodying her, according to Laurette Séjourné, who thus links female fertility to the fertility of the earth; images of daily life or objects used in domestic rituals, according to others, following Michael D. Coe. All agree on the central role of the female figure in these agricultural societies. Our figurine embodies these traits: a broad, flattened head with incised hair, a face with slit eyes and a small mouth, short, outstretched arms, and full hips and thighs that taper into slender legs. These full, rounded forms evoke a humanity nourished by the earth and abundance. Documentary reference: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, female figurine, Tlatilco, type D2, 1200–900 B.C., inv. 1990.140. Comparative bibliography: Karl Taube, *The Albers Collection of Pre-Columbian Art*, New York, Hudson Hills Press, 1988, pp. 26–27, nos. I-12 to I-15: standing female figurines of type D1, Tlatilco, Valley of Mexico, Early Formative period.