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THBAmazing Aztec Stone Snake w/ Von Winning Report
Lot 52d
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$18,000 - $25,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Oct 3, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-10-03 10:00:00
2019-10-03 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Day 2: Pre-Columbian & Tribal Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-day-2-pre-columbian-tribal-art-4453
Day 2 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional, museum-worthy examples of Pre-Columbian from the ancient Americas, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial and fossils. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Day 2 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional, museum-worthy examples of Pre-Columbian from the ancient Americas, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial and fossils. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (300)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Central Mexico, Aztec, ca. 1325 to 1475 CE. An expertly carved and quite large volcanic stone sculpture depicting a coiled Quetzalcoatl, the mythical serpent, with an intimidating visage presenting incised beady eyes, an open mouth revealing sharp fangs and a long forked tongue that extends down to the lower coil of its body, and a lengthy rattler at the end of his body. The body itself is meticulously carved with overlapping diamond motifs in bas relief. Snakes/serpents provide a fascinating element of Pre-Columbian iconography, as important symbols of power, rebirth, transition, and renewal. Since snakes shed their skin annually, thus rejuvenating themselves, the ancients of Mexico viewed them as providing hope for the possibility of change in the face of adversity. Size: 13.5" L x 12" W x 7.5" H (34.3 cm x 30.5 cm x 19 cm)
See an example of an Aztec coiled snake stone sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (00.5.32). The curator's descriptions points to other serpents depicted in ancient Mexican visual culture, "At the Main Temple in the Aztec imperial capital Tenochtitlan, serpent depictions proliferate: monumental snake heads, probably representing different species —with open fanged mouths and forked tongues —flank braziers and stairways leading to the sanctuaries. The temple itself is said to have been surrounded at the time of the Spanish conquest by a serpent wall, or Coatepantli, formed by hundreds of adjoining sculptures of snakes."
This serpent form represents Quetzalcoatl - "Feathered Serpent" in the Nahuatl language - the Pre-Columbian deity revered as lord of wind and sky. The earliest representations of Quetzalcoatl adorn the Temple of Quetzalcoatl in Teotihuacan, Mexico (ca. 3rd century CE) where numerous stone heads of the divine plumed snake embellish the steps of this Pre-Classic pyramid. The pioneering artist/anthropologist Miguel Covarrubias whose writings and illustrations on indigenous cultures of the ancient Americas continue to contribute to scholarly studies today stated, "Quetzalcoatl stood for all that was good in this world: peace, art, wisdom, and prosperity. Disguised as an ant, he discovered maize, the staple food of the Indians, hidden under the mountain of Substance, Tonacatepetl; he also invented the arts, the sciences, and the calendar. In fact, everything connected with wisdom and culture was attributed to Quetzalcoatl." (Miguel Covarrubias, Mexico South: The Isthmus of Tehuantepec (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1946), 130.
This piece is accompanied by a Hasso von Winning report dated February 5, 1973.
Provenance: private Arcadia, California, USA collection, acquired over twenty years ago; ex-Peter Arnovich collection, Los Altos, California, USA; accompanied by a Hasso von Winning report dated February 5, 1973
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#150166Normal surface wear with a few minor chips and scuffs here and there, but otherwise intact and excellent with well-preserved details. Earthen and mineral deposits grace the surface.Condition
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