The developed pre-Columbian civilizations included the Tumaco-La Tolita culture (VI century BC - II century AD), which occupied the territory of Colombia (Tumaco) and Ecuador (La Tolita). Archaeologists have found numerous jewelry, ceramic and gold figurines, masks in these places. This ceramic sculpture, quite realistic and detailed for its time, is a striking example of the art of Tumaco La Tolita.
The figurine, 63 cm high, depicts an old man with wrinkles on his face. The shape of the head indicates that some representatives of this culture were deliberately deformed in early childhood. The figurine is quite complex, it took at least a few days to make it. First, the master made a torso, which he formed by gradually adding more and more new details. The artist made the limbs and head separately and attached them before firing.
According to one version, the old man on the chair can be a shaman - an intermediary between people and the surrounding nature. His high social position is evidenced by the collar and bracelets. The protruding spine gives the figure a resemblance to an iguana revered in pre-Columbian America. Similar artifacts have been found in settlements and cemeteries, but their original purpose is still unknown.
