Description:

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Nicoya region, ca. 1000 CE. A very large and impressive stone metate, sculpted out of a single piece of volcanic rock, perhaps used in the utilitarian manner to grind copious amounts of maize, or possibly as a seat for an elite personage. Skillfully carved and embellished with two animorphic (most likely jaguar) heads on opposite ends. Metates like this example, given its scale and decorative carving, were sometimes used to seat a departed lord on his journey to the afterlife. A magnificent piece! Size: 19.5" L x 13.25" W x 8.5" H (49.5 cm x 33.7 cm x 21.6 cm)

Provenance: Ex-private Pearson collection, Denver, CO; acquired at a major NYC auction house

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#109985

  • Condition: Several stable cracks to seat. One leg is a tad shorter than the others.

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February 16, 2016 8:00 AM MST
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 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000