Description:

Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, La Tolita (Tumaco) culture, ca. 600 BCE to 450 CE. A fantastical, fierce ceramic head that combines the features of a human and a jaguar - a bald head and large ears at the side of the head, while the mouth has huge canines, a long, round tongue, and bulging eyes. La Tolita art is characterized by carefully detailed figures, with abundant reference made to mythological creatures, especially those that were half human and half serpent or jaguar. Part of religious practice in this society was the ritual ingestion of hallucinogenic or otherwise mind-altering drugs in order for a shaman or priest to assume an animalistic state. This sculpture appears to depict a shaman in this act of transformation. Size: 3.75" W x 4.5" H (9.5 cm x 11.4 cm); 8.5" H (21.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: ex-private Pearson collection, Denver, Colorado, USA

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#147031

  • Condition: The head is a fragment from a larger sculpture, lost below the neck/back of the head. What remains is incredibly preserved aside from a small chip on one tooth. Light deposits on surface.

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July 25, 2019 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$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