Description:

**Originally Listed At $450**

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Nicoya region, ca. 400 to 800 CE. A fine example of a metate, hand-carved from a single piece of grey-hued volcanic stone. It has a curved, generously sized grinding table, a skirt adorned with a scalloped edge made up of zoomorphic heads that perhaps represent jaguars, and a quartet of conical legs. Metates were created for utilitarian purposes like grinding foodstuffs or medicinal ingredients. However, they evolved into meaningful ritual objects replete with strong iconography and intriguing sculptural forms. Size: 17.625" L x 10" W x 8.375" H (44.8 cm x 25.4 cm x 21.3 cm)

Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, acquired in June 2016; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private upstate New York, USA collection

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#151186

  • Condition: Repairs to all four legs, with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Minor nicks and abrasions to legs, skirt, table, and peripheries, with softening to some finer details on zoomorphic heads, and light encrustations. Light earthen deposits throughout.

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March 26, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000