Description:

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Chorotega culture, ca. 300 to 800 CE. A rare example from a mysterious culture, this is a polychrome bowl with steep, thin walls and rich iconography, standing on three rattling anthropomorphic legs. The interior motifs seem related to the sacred ballgame, with an image in tondo of what appears to be two ballplayers wearing large yokes at their waist and holding a single ball between them. Around the interior walls of the bowl are further stylized images of what appear to be ballplayers and balls. The tripod feet resemble caciques, the regal lords who often decorate Colombian artwork. Size: 9.9" W x 4.5" H (25.1 cm x 11.4 cm)

Very little is known of the Pre-Columbian Chorotega, who did not leave behind many ruins. They were roughly contemporaneous with the Maya, and, together with the Chibcha people of Colombia, formed a cultural link between the peoples of the Andes and the peoples of Mexico.

Provenance: Ex-private Vaught Collection, Atlanta, GA

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#120739

  • Condition: Repaired from multiple, fairly large pieces. Two of the legs and possibly the underside have signs of repainting over the repairs, but the interior retains most of its original artwork.

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March 15, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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