Description:

Pre-Columbian, Oaxaca, Mexico, Zapotec culture, Monte Alban, ca. 100 BCE to 200 CE. A detailed example of one of the most famous forms of Monte Alban pottery, a figural vessel made from crema paste ceramic. These elaborately decorated items were produced as prestige items and local lords in the Monte Alban area received them via gift-giving networks that reinforced their power and prestige. This particular vessel is in the form of a seated human figure wearing an elaborate avian headdress, a large necklace, and holding a trophy head on his knees. A hollow, utilitarian column rises behind the figure, to the height of the middle back. Size: 3.45" W x 5.95" H (8.8 cm x 15.1 cm)

The Zapotec, like many pre-Columbian civilizations, placed clay effigies into burials, often in the form of urns or vessels. Who were the figures depicted on vessels like this one, and what was their purpose? They may have represented the deities themselves, but they more likely represented ancestors or shamans impersonating gods, perhaps even spirits.

Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

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#142986

  • Condition: Intact, with some small chips and nicks commensurate with age. Deposits on surface. Very nice preservation of detail.

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January 24, 2019 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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