Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Nicoya region, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. An impressive pottery tripod jar in the form of a voluminous jaguar, hand-painted with intricate, geometric designs of red and black on beige. Surmounted by a raised rim, the stylized animal presents a petite head with a rounded snout, protruding ears, and ovoid, openwork eyes. Three additional nodules protrude from the verso, painted with details to convey a face also resembling a jaguar. Each leg is pierced with a pair of perforations allowing for a rattling sound to be emitted by a petite, percussive ball on the interior. Jaguar imagery symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world; hence, warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World. Size: 11" W x 10.3" H (27.9 cm x 26.2 cm)

Provenance: private Lumberton, Texas, USA collection, acquired before 2010

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#183855

  • Condition: One leg still contains percussive ball; other 2 do not. Professionally repaired and restored; all done very well and difficult to notice. A few miniscule nicks and abrasions as shown, but otherwise, excellent with liberal remaining pigment and light earthen deposits throughout.

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March 8, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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