Lot 111
Pre-Columbian, Central Mexico, Huastec culture, ca. 900 to 1450 CE. A delicate pectoral carved from a deeply-curving shell with a cut-out design that represents twin snakes around a central removed disc. Although the design initially appears symmetrical, it is not. Twin drilled holes at the widest edge show where it would have been attached to clothing or hung for suspension. Size: 3.2" W x 3.6" H (8.1 cm x 9.1 cm); size with stand: 5.5" H (14 cm).
The Huastecs, who lived on Mexico's Gulf Coast and ultimately, in the 15th century, became one of the satellite states of the Aztec Empire, are little known aside from limited artwork and Aztec accounts given to Spanish chroniclers. Furthermore, the Aztecs, perhaps trying to justify their own conquest of these people, did not paint them in a flattering light. Recent archaeological research has begun to bring their rich iconography to life, especially from round shell pectorals like this one. For example, a similar pectoral in the Brooklyn Museum (accession number 48.149) is incised with scenes of death and gods - four human skulls and allusion to Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, the Lord of Dawn. From this, we can surmise that pectorals like this one had a ceremonial or funerary function.
Provenance: Ex-Private Smith Collection, Atlanta, GA
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#119924
- Condition: Near choice with deep deposits on reverse.
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