A GROUP OF VALDIVIA CULTURE TERRACOTTA FRAGMENTS, ECUADOR Circa 3rd Millennium B.C. Including four fragmentary heads, with characteristic large coiffures and incised schematic facial features and a fragmentary figure, 2.8cm - 5cm high, (5) Provenance: French private collection. Footnotes: The Valdivia culture is one of the oldest Pre-Columbian cultures, producing figurines in both stone and pottery. The most widely known pottery type from Valdivia are female figures, such as those in this lot, sometimes referred to as Venus figures, and are thought to be representations of real individuals indicated by the varied coiffures.