Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Pacific Slope, Guanacaste-Nicoya region, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. An extensively detailed metate and stirrup-shaped pestle - the concave, rectangular table on four zoomorphic legs, expertly carved from one piece of volcanic stone with refined dimensions and intricately incised details. Note the wonderful stylized zigzag and cross motifs adorning the exterior wall of the table and the angular geometric motifs on the limbs. The pestle is also outstanding. Far more interesting than the more pedestrian club-like form, this metate presents an almost architectural, temple-like design with intricately incised, abstract meanders and geometric motifs. A very special pair, most likely created for ceremonial use given their extensive decorative programs. Size: metate measures 8.375" W x 3.25" H (21.3 cm x 8.3 cm); pestle measures 5.25" W x 4.25" H (13.3 cm x 10.8 cm)
Metates were initially created to grind foods such as corn, certainly a utilitarian purpose, as well as hallucinogenic substances, medicines, etc. for ceremonial rituals; however, they evolved into meaningful ritual objects in and of themselves, replete with strong iconography and intriguing sculptural forms have transformed these objects into much more than pragmatic tools. Examples of a larger scale but with a similar degree of decorative carving and iconographic symbolism were sometimes used to seat a departed lord on his journey to the afterlife. Jaguar imagery symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world; hence, warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World.
Provenance: ex-private Sneed collection, Florida, USA
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#137009
Condition
Expected surface wear with minor nicks to edges of table, feet, edges and working surfaces of pestle, and high-pointed areas, but otherwise excellent. Earthen and mineral deposits grace the surface.