Lot 72A
Pre-Columbian, southeastern Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula, Campeche, Jaina Island, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 600 to 850 CE. A remarkable pottery rattle whistle in the form of a standing figure, likely a shaman. Boasting vibrant hues of red and orange with liberal remains of white and blue pigments, the mold-formed figure is dressed elaborately with a huge, complex headdress, several heavy necklaces, broad bangles, and a thick belt. The ancient enchanter gazes forth from large eyes, displaying an expressive visage with a bulbous nose and large mouth with lengthy fangs. He also impressively serves as 2 instruments - one may blow through the slit in his left arm to hear a lovely whistle or give him a jostle to create a soft rattle! Size: 3.5" W x 5.8" H (8.9 cm x 14.7 cm)
Jaina figures, from an island off the Yucatan peninsula, are noted for their lifelike faces and their immense attention to detail. Scholars believe that sculptors modeled these figures' clothing on real clothing worn by the elite during the Late Classic Maya period. These figures likely represented actual people, were produced in Campeche, and then were brought to Jaina Island to be buried with the deceased. Fascinatingly, the people around Jaina are the only people in southeastern Mesoamerica who put human figures into graves. Everywhere else in the region, figures have been found solely in domestic contexts. The Spaniard Diego de Landa, who recorded details of Maya life shortly after the Spanish Conquest, wrote that the artists who created pieces like this one lived lives of religious isolation and ritual - fasting and abstaining.
Provenance: private Lumberton, Texas, USA collection, acquired before 2010; ex-Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, USA, auction 6056, lot #56067, December 5th, 2010
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#170000
- Condition: Expected nicks, abrasions, and softening of detail, commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with liberal remains of pigments.
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