Lot 148
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Veracruz culture, ca. 550 to 950 CE. An incredibly intricate, two-part ceramic bust of a deity, composed of a hollow torso and its removable head. The torso has its armed held out to the sides, its hands posed with the fingers curled in a lifelike manner, especially on the right hand. The body is studded with buttons around the neck and down the center of the body and there is a low ring around the neck, bordering the hole that the head slots into with a short projection. The head is fantastical, depicting the Jester God, with a characteristic curved snout, large, blank eyes, the forehead pierced with a pair of "kan" cross motifs, and a disc and feather headdress. Traces of white pigment are found on both parts of the sculpture. Size when fit together: 5.5" L x 11.6" W x 9.8" H (14 cm x 29.5 cm x 24.9 cm)
The Jester God is so named because of the three-pointed nature of his headdress, which is reminiscent of the traditionally-depicted costume of the medieval jester. This god is one of the earliest symbols of rulership, and has a counterpart in the Mayan world who is iconographically similar. The symbolism of the crosses on the forehead may relate to the plans for tombs and pyramids in the region.
This figure combines the amazing style of the Veracruz, who had the ability to combine hyper-realistic features (see here, for example, the way the fingers are depicted) with stylized items (the entire mask). Excavations near the modern Mexican town of Remojadas have revealed two types of impressive, detailed pottery figures from the Veracruz period: the Sonrientes, the joyous "smiling faces", and figures like this one, more serious, mostly adult figures, with elaborate costumes, themes, and sometimes props that all seem to point towards religious or political ceremonies. These figures are often found with the bodies smashed into pieces and the heads largely intact - they were ritually destroyed as burial offerings. Their clothing suggests that they depict people of import in society, maybe priests or nobility.
Provenance: private D. C. collection, California, USA; D. C. is an Emmy Award winning Hollywood writer and Executive Producer, collected before or in 2000; ex Sotheby's, May 17, 2000, lot 167; previously, ex Sotheby's, lot 470, Oct 10, 1975
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#126478
- Condition: Head: headdress has been repaired; repairs are well done and difficult to see. Excellent detail. Body: repaired and restored, with arms reattached and some of the fingers repaired. One of the buttons is missing. Again, repairs are well done and very difficult to see.
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