Description:

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Nicoya, ca. 500 to 1000 CE. An intriguing figural pottery whistle depicting a female figure [with a barrel-shaped, dare I say droid-like body - that's for all our Star Wars fans out there - possessing diminutive, attenuated limbs but explicitly delineated breasts and genitalia], her expressive visage presenting an emotive countenance with bulging eyes, a bulbous nose, and an open mouth bearing a full set of teeth. In her left grip she holds a limp child, perhaps a sacrificial victim, by the head, his or her body dangling from the perhaps decapitated head, shifted 180 degrees from the neck. Gruesome subject matter aside, the piece is well-executed and boasts carefully incised decorative headgear and pectoral. What's more it's a functioning whistle! Size: 4.75" W x 6.625" H (12.1 cm x 16.8 cm)

Provenance: private Vaught collection, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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#121837

  • Condition: Small loss to upper end of pectoral and a few nicks here and there. Minor surface wear. Whistle works well.

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May 25, 2017 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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