Lot 137
Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast Mexico, Vera Cruz (Veracruz), Remojadas style, ca. 600 to 800 CE. A hand-built pottery head depicting Xipe Totec, the Nahuatl god known as "Our Lord the Flayed One." The head is comprised of mounded eyes, a naturalistic nose, an open mouth with bared upper teeth, and a singular ear with an enormous earspool, all beneath the remains of a headdress. Human sacrifice, and specifically the ritual flaying and dismemberment of human sacrifices, were crucial components of the religious practices that marked the passage of Mesoamerican time. Worship of Xipe Totec required the death by arrow of multiple sacrificial victims every year to spread their blood into the soil and renew the agricultural cycle. Size: 5" L x 4" W x 6" H (12.7 cm x 10.2 cm x 15.2 cm); 10" H (25.4 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection, purchased June 3, 2019; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private lifetime collection of Dr. Saul Tuttman and Dr. Gregory Siskind, New York, New York, USA
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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#170746
- Condition: This is a fragment from a larger free-standing figure. Head repaired from multiple large pieces with small losses and light adhesive residue along break lines. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, chips and nicks to neckline, face, and top of head, with fading to some finer details, and light roughness across most surfaces. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Old inventory number in black ink on verso of neck.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
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| $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 |