Valdivian Seated Fertility Goddess - PF.2397, Origin: Ecuador, Circa: 2500 BC to 1500 BC, Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 3.25" (8.3cm) wide, Collection: Pre-Columbian, Style: Valdivian, Medium: Terracotta. The pottery traditions in Ecuador are some of the oldest in the New World, revealing unexpectedly long stylistic sequences and surprisingly innovative cultures. This stunning female fertility Goddess is an exquisite example of the ceramic tradition of the early Valvidian culture of Ecuador. This powerful mother Goddess sits on her wide buttocks, short outstretched legs serving to frame and highlight her femaleness. Larger breasts further accentuate her role as a source of fruitfulness, while a dramatic hairdo frames her small but expressive face. Fertility goddesses are a hallmark of virtually all-ancient cultures, echoing man's Universal desire to harness the forces of nature, allowing for a fertile and productive life--at its most basic subsistence level as well as on a transcendent plane. This spirited fertility Goddess, both visually and emotionally expressive gives substance to these Universal needs, her strikingly modern and powerfully primitive image truly uniting past with present, not only in her role as a mother Goddess but also in her aesthetic ability to please our senses.

Antiquities
Ancient South America