Lot 237D
Pre-Columbian, Post Classic Period, Mixtec or Aztec, modern day Mexico, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A trio of incredible bone pendants, probably made from a deer longbone based on the size and shape. All are deeply convex, thin, and incised and carved into openwork forms of mythical serpents, probably representing the god Quetzalcoatl. Two are round and the third, the most elaborately carved, is ovoid. Red cinnabar pigment - poisonous to work with, but highly valued in ancient Mesoamerica - has been put into the lower profile areas of the carvings. The two round pendants depict the serpent figure in an ouroboros configuration, devouring its own tail. The ovoid pendant depicts a similar serpent with a head at each end of its body. These were made to be part of someone elite's personal decoration and they were probably buried wearing them, perhaps sewn onto a garment or worn on a string. Comes together in a custom display case. Size of largest: 1.6" W (4.1 cm); size of case: Size: 2" L x 10.5" W x 9.2" H (5.1 cm x 26.7 cm x 23.4 cm)
The Quetzalcoatl as ouroboros is a mysterious form, its meaning either never recorded or lost, but by analogy to Pueblo mythology from north of the Aztec world (who we know had at least extensive trade contacts with the Mesoamericans), it may symbolize the eternal nature of creation and belief.
Provenance: private R.D. collection, Long Beach, California, USA collection, acquired over 25 years from various major galleries; purportedly collected by Stendahl Galleries
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#124310
- Condition: All are intact, with clear detail and nice remaining cinnabar pigment.
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