Lot 71H
Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Nicoya Peninsula, ca. 1100 to 1450 CE. A simply superb, hand-built and polychromed Nicoya terracotta cylinder, with a low pedestal foot and graceful, slightly concave walls, all hand painted in hues of red, orange, black, and white. Perhaps most impressive is the iconographic program of this vessel. The body is decorated with three substantive horizontal registers; the central register with a dramatic visage of a deity or shaman, skillfully rendered with facial features in low relief, the back of the head with alternating concentric circles or spirals and rectangles. Take a moment to look at this arresting face with its large, quixotic, almond-shaped eyes, toothy smile or impassioned grimace, delicately pointed nose and chin, ornamental face paint, "textile" headband, and pierced ear ornaments that more than likely once held danglers. The registers above and below complement this intense visage, containing intricate, stylized geometrics and animorphic forms, intended to represent a highly adorned headdress and clothing. An extraordinary vessel possessing a remarkable decorative program, most likely created for ceremonial use. Size: 6.25" W x 8.75" H (15.9 cm x 22.2 cm)
Note, a museum label and catalogue number is affixed to the underside of the foot of this piece.
Provenance: Ex-Private Young collection, Colorado Springs, CO; Ex-Gray Galleries; Ex-Ancient Resources LLC
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#111772
- Condition: Expected surface wear and small nick to rimSome repair and restoration, but almost all there.
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