Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central & Gulf Coast Mexico, Tres Zapotes area, Veracruz culture, Classic era, ca. 100 to 1000 CE. A hand-carved basalt stone head depicting a stylized serpent, featuring bulbous nostrils and a short, cylindrical neck. This neck may have functioned as a tenon joint for fitting into a larger sculpture or architectural element, although the petite size also suggests it may have been used as a handheld tool, possibly as a pestle. Size: 5.75" L x 2.2" W x 2.75" H (14.6 cm x 5.6 cm x 7 cm)

This piece was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum in the "Ancient Art of Latin America" exhibition from November 22, 1966, to March 5, 1967, as part of the Jay C. Leff collection. A photograph of this piece in the exhibition can be viewed on the Brooklyn Museum's website; it is photographed upside down, but it is clearly the same piece. Parts of Leff's collection have been shown at various museums, including the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, the American Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Primitive Art in New York, and by the American Federation of Arts.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Jay C. Leff collection; ex-Leo and Lillian Fortess collection, collected in the 1960s

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.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#190014

    Condition:
  • Old loss to lower jaw. Chips and abrasions, but otherwise intact. Old inventory stickers on the surface.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

November 15, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to [bp]% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions