Lot 84
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima culture, Early Postclassic, ca. 900 to 1250 CE. An evocative and quite dramatic pottery incensario in the form of Tlaloc, the god of rain and lightning, with exaggerated features such as bulging, hollow eyes, an upturned, hook nose, a huge, gaping smile and projecting canine teeth. Flat, rectangular ears of giant proportions flank the spectacular visage, while a flared rim sits on top, doubling as a headdress. Spikes and flanges additionally adorn the exterior of this censer, not only serving to dissipate heat absorbed from the burning coals, but to also serve an iconographic purpose of representing the spikes of the ceiba, tallest tree in the Mesoamerican forest. Size: 14" L x 14.3" W x 19" H (35.6 cm x 36.3 cm x 48.3 cm)
Among the Maya and other Mesoamerican societies, the ceiba was the model for the World Tree at the center of the cosmos, which maintained the universe's tripartite structure (heavens, earth, and underworld). The ceiba-World Tree also provided a supernatural pathway for religious practitioners' spiritual journeys among the three realms.
This distinctive style of representing Tlaloc may have been appropriated from Central Mexico and adapted by the peoples of Colima as part of socioeconomic interaction. During the Postclassic Period, West Mexican peoples increasingly were in contact with highland Mexico, trading marine resources (especially shells), coveted green stones and other lithic materials, and copper objects made in West Mexico.
Tlaloc (Chaac to the Maya) is the Mesoamerican rain deity, who with his axe made of lightning, strikes the clouds and produces thunder and rain. In Aztec iconography, he is depicted with goggles around his eyes and large fangs. He is also frequently represented in artwork from Teotihuacan and seems to have been one of the most commonly depicted of the Mesoamerican gods.
Incense played a major role in religious practice in Mesoamerica, from the Olmec onward. Many tombs are outfitted with incensarios and the items also seem to have been used in ceremonies by the living. The incense was made from copal, tree resin from the torchwood tree. By burning copal, Mesoamerican priests made an offering to the gods - for example, during an Aztec ceremony for the god Huitzilopochtli, the hummingbird-formed god of war, priests hoped that their prayers would be carried upward along with the wafting smoke and scent.
Similar incensarios can be found in the Walters Museum (2009.20.285) and the National Gallery of Victoria (2002.215).
Provenance: private Lumberton, Texas, USA collection; ex-Heritage Auctions, New York, New York, USA, auction #6056, December 5, 2010, lot #56062
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#183541
- Condition: Professionally repaired and restored; done very well and break lines barely visible. Some age-expected chips, nicks, and abrasions as shown. Otherwise, excellent presentation with nice remaining detail. Light earthen deposits throughout.
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