Description:

Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast Mexico, Vera Cruz, ca. 550 to 950 CE. A terracotta head of a Sonriente (smiling face)figural whistle, the most well-known of Remojadas figurines, featuring a traditional wide smile revealing filed teeth on a characteristically almost triangular shaped face donning a pointed ear ornament and a grand headdress adorned with textile-inspired geometric motifs, most likely once attached to a child-like body with outstretched arms and displayed palms. Sonrientes are rare in Mesoamerican art and scholars suggest that they played a special role in Remojadas society due to their rarity. Why that smile? Well some scholars believe that it was hallucinogenically produced perhaps by ingesting alcoholic pulque while others such as Miller and Taube suggest that the smiling figures were actually performers. A wonderful example mounted on a wood block stand. Size: head itself measures 4" W x 3" H (10.2 cm x 7.6 cm); 7" H (17.8 cm) on stand

Provenance: Ex- private B. DiPietro collection, PA

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#112239

  • Condition: A fragment with reattached ear ornament, normal surface wear, and tiny nicks to peripheries. Nice manganese deposits in some areas.

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February 16, 2016 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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