A pale orange terracotta figure of a female lying on a bed or platform, strapped in with a broad strap around the head and a twin strap restraint around her body. She rests her head on a pillow or headrest and is wearing large ear plugs but is otherwise naked. Unmodelled reverse with old collection number at the base.
 
Pre-Columbian West Mexico, Colima culture: Circa 100 BC - 250 AD.
 
Fine condition: small corner chip to one corner below the foot, otherwise complete and intact.
Length 8.4 cms (3.3 ins)
 
Provenance: Private Nevada collection, ex. Dr. David Harner collection, Arkansas, 1950's - 1960's.
 
For a comparable figure, see item 95: Sculpture of Ancient West Mexico: Catalogue Of The Proctor Stafford Collection at The Los Angeles County Museum Of Art.
 
These types of "bedded" figure were found in the shaft tombs of West Mexico, and are sometimes known as "muertos", perhaps depicting the person in death, strapped in to keep their spirit contained. 
 
For further information, see our blog post on Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica