Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An intriguing sculpture that is hand-carved from pale, sage green stone with mottled gray and beige inclusions within the matrix. The abstract composition exhibits an ovoid central body surmounted by a minimalist jaguar with outstretched limbs, a slender tail cascading down the posterior, and a heart-shaped head with perky ears and bow-drilled eyes above an incised mouth. Beneath the feline effigy are five minimalist reptiles that include a lizard crawling with petite legs as well as four snakes with rounded heads and slithering bodies. While the function of this abstract sculpture remains a mystery, the artistry and the meticulous smoothness of its surfaces suggests that it was perhaps an object of ritual worship or served a ceremonial purpose. Size: 10.7" L x 3.7" W x 7.1" H (27.2 cm x 9.4 cm x 18 cm); 9.3" H (23.6 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection acquired in 2014; ex-Arte Primitivo, New York, New York, USA
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#157080
Condition
Small chips to animals, body, and peripheries, with minor softening to some zoomorphic details, and coarse encrustations, otherwise intact and excellent. Great root marks and earthen deposits throughout. Old inventory label along bottom.