Description:

Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Aztec, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A mold-formed pottery maskette depicting the face of Xipe Totec, the Aztec god of agriculture, deadly warfare, and the earth whose name means "Our Lord the Flayed One." The parallel curvilinear grooves across each portion of the face are indicative of the flesh being ritualistically removed, piece by piece, until only the bare musculature beneath was visible. Xipe Totec was believed to have flayed himself to give food to humanity, symbolic of the way maize seeds lose their outer layer before germination and of snakes shedding their skin, hence his depiction in this maskette. Size: 1.81" L x 4.30" W x 2.97" H (4.6 cm x 10.9 cm x 7.5 cm)

Provenance: private British Columbia, Canada collection, gifted from aunt in Tucson, Arizona, USA, acquired prior to 1994

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#182681

  • Condition: Small chips around peripheries, with a few stable hairline fissures, darkening along verso, and light earthen deposits, otherwise in great condition. Nice preservation to facial features.

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December 14, 2023 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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