Description:

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A set of 5 hand-built terracotta molds used for creating different types of pottery sculptures. The first 2 molds were used to shape either a human head or a turtle, and a third mold could create a pair of abstract figures, perhaps lizards or frogs; this mold has an abstract glyph on the verso. One of the larger molds could create a man seated with one hand over his chest, and the largest mold shows a lordly figure with enormous earlobes and a rectangular pectoral ornament. The molds the Maya used to create their sculptures en masse are rarer than the items they produced! The molds might not only have shaped clay, but also food or other malleable substances like incense or wax! Size of largest: 4.125" W x 6" H (10.5 cm x 15.2 cm)

Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010

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#175041

  • Condition: Each piece has light abrasions and small chips, with softening to some finer details, and light earthen deposits, otherwise intact and excellent. Great preservation to mold forms.

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January 8, 2023 10:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$0 $299 $25
$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