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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 9486952, member: 8267&quot;]Almost certainly a recent reproduction.</p><p><br /></p><p>Such figures are known as &quot;coqueros&quot; (coca-chewers), and were made by the pre-Columbian Capulí culture (c. 800-1500) located in the regions of southern Colombia (Nariño) and northern Ecuador (Carchi). They are believed to depict high ranking individuals, indicated by their sitting on stools, and may be shamans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Capuli pottery is typically covered with red slip and burnished/polished before firing. Subsequent to firing, it was decorated with what is referred to as resist or negative painted designs. In one technique, areas that were to become black were painted with plant resins, and areas that were to remain red were temporarily covered with a slip or other resist material. The pot was then held over a fire, which caused the resin to burn and penetrate the clay surface. The protective resist material was then removed to reveal the contrasting original red surface. The dark designs on genuine Capuli pottery tend to have soft edges, and may show more wear as the resin paint is more fragile.</p><p><br /></p><p>The surface of your figure does not appear well polished/burnished, and the black decoration looks more like a dark clay slip. I have also noticed that (most-likely) genuine coqueros often have a hole in the top of their head. This feature is often not shown in photographs, and so might be missed by those reproducing the form.</p><p><br /></p><p>As with many pre-Columbian ceramics, determining authenticity of such figures is complicated by the fact that most on the market have no archeological provenance. And such unique and rare objects become popular, which encourages reproductions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a coquero in my collection, which I would like to think is authentic:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]444872[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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