Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Lower Magdalena River Region, Moskito, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. An expressive pottery lid finial, shaped as an anthropomorphic head to fit atop an urn, which includes a broad, trapezoidal forward-facing visage and pinched features. His angular head presents with a serene, perhaps sleeping or trance-like expression - bearing squinting eyes, a curved nose with septum piercing, a closed mouth, and pierced ears - presumably for the suspension of decorative ornaments. Urns were used for secondary burial of important individuals' long bones, after years of primary burial after their bones had been de-fleshed. They would excavate the bones, and place the long bones in the urn, covered by these figural lids that are thought to represent the deceased. The head is hollow, with a circular vent opening at the base of the neck, where this finial once attached to the of the rest of the domed lid. Size: 9.9" W x 7.3" H (25.1 cm x 18.5 cm)

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Galeria Cano, Bogota, Colombia, July 19, 1980

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#177775

  • Condition: Fragment of a funerary urn with loss to top of head, as well as professional repair and restoration. Break lines just barely visible in a few areas. Light surface wear as shown. Light earthen deposits.

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March 30, 2023 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$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