Description:

**Originally Listed At $75**

Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Manteno culture, ca. 800 to 1500 CE. A fabulous set of five hand-built terracotta spindle whorls with vertically-perforated suspension holes. The repeating incised theme on each of these miniatures is that of the possum, a deeply-symbolic animal in Pre-Columbian lore. The possum, known for its habit of "playing dead" when predators are near, is emblematic of both life as a gift from the gods as well as man's loss of immortality for taking such a gift for granted. Finely-detailed and intact, these are five excellent spindle whorls! Size of largest (all fairly similar in size): 0.5" W (1.3 cm).

Provenance: ex-Hank Johnson estate, Denver, Colorado, USA; HD-Enterprise, Denver, acquired before 2000

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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#129786

  • Condition: All items have age-commensurate surface wear, light deposits within incised details, otherwise intact and very good.

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April 30, 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