Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Nicoya region, ca. 1st to 5th century CE. A sizable and hefty mace head, hand-carved from banded calcite stone, that depicts a stylized macaw. The abstract avian creature features a bulbous head with a large, aquiline beak, a corseted neckline, a rectangular body with a biconically drilled socketing shaft, and a conical tail. A long wooden pole would have been inserted into the bottom of the mace head for use as a battle-ready weapon, however the intricacy of this example indicates it was perhaps carved as a funerary offering. Size: 6.7" L x 1.875" W x 2.5" H (17 cm x 4.8 cm x 6.4 cm); 6.1" H (15.5 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, before 2010; ex-Stein collection, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 1970 to 1990

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#173437

  • Condition: Repair and restoration to beak, back of head, and bottom of socketing shaft, with small chips, light in-fill material, and light adhesive residue along new material and break lines. Abrasions, pitting, and scattered areas of roughness commensurate with age, with softening to some finer avian features, and light earthen deposits within some recessed areas. Nice preservation to avian form. Old inventory label beneath tail.

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July 28, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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