Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Panama, Gran Cocle, Parita, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. A wondrous pottery vessel of round-bottomed form with a hemispherical base and a flared rim that doubles as the fins of the massive stingray depicted in the center. The lengthy creature features a massive snout, a petite tail, and a pair of protruding eyes in front of the raised rim. Ample linear and geometric motifs are shown in hues of black, red, and faded purple. Size: 14" L x 13.6" W x 5" H (35.6 cm x 34.5 cm x 12.7 cm)

The stingray is an interesting animal in Cocle lore because of its dualistic and symbolic nature. They are defensive animals who, when provoked, can employ their razor-sharp dorsal spines both as a piercing weapon as well as an applicator of highly-toxic venom to any wounds it inflicts. As professor Jeanette Favrot Peterson explains, "Like shark's teeth, stingray spines were also highly valued as bloodletters, in rituals of self-sacrifice (Benson 1988c). The purpose of offering blood…was to sustain the cosmos. Thus, the…stingray embodied dual aspects of the underworld, both deadly and indirectly, life-affirming" (Precolumbian Flora and Fauna: Continuity of Plant and Animal Themes in Mesoamerican art. Mingei International Museum, 1990, p. 78).

Provenance: ex-private USA collection, acquired before 2000. Complete provenance will be provided to winning bidder; all items from this collection have been appraised by Marianne Huber in 2014

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.

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#188369

  • Condition: Professional repair and restoration, with resurfacing and overpainting along most new material and break lines. Abrasions and craquelure, with light fading to pigment in scattered areas, otherwise in great condition. Great preservation to overall form.

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August 16, 2024 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
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$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000