Exhibited Costa Rican Pottery Zoomorphic Incensario

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-21 10:00:00 2019-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Guanacaste / Nicoya, Potosi, ca. 600 to 1100 CE. A fabulous hand-built pottery incensario of an enormous size. The two-part vessel consists of a lower body presenting a wide conical basin resting atop a concave splayed foot and a similarly-shaped lid with a raised neck collar and a cylindrical spout, with the rims of each lined with applied conical nodules. Serving as the handle atop the lid is a fantastical crocodilian creature known as a saurian with a scaly, openwork body, a quartet of stocky legs, a sinuous tail with three parallel lines of spikes, and four highly-stylized horns/tusks which curl vertically over its head. The deep basin is large enough to contain substantial amounts of copal or other aromatic substances, and five incised crosses act as vent holes around the neck for the scented smoke to escape once the incensario lid is closed. Size (w/ lid): 16.75" W x 25.25" H (42.5 cm x 64.1 cm).
  
  The iconography on these pieces is especially symbolic. Sauria refer to a class of reptiles that originally included lizards, crocodiles, and other extinct lizard-like forms. Serpents and lizards were metaphors for rain and blood, two life-giving fluids, in the Pre-Columbian world. At the same time, serpents were viewed as creatures that portend great danger. Their ability to shed their skin each year, and thus rejuvenate themselves, also made them a symbol of health and renewal. The Crocodilian order, comprised of crocodiles, smaller alligators, and yet smaller caymans (all treated similarly in Pre-Columbian mythology) was very meaningful to the ancients of the Americas. The crocodile being the oldest (approximately 55 million years old) was understood as a crocodilian earth monster and is oftentimes shown giving rise to what was known as the World Tree. Partial to a watery habitat, the crocodile is also a metaphor for fertility.
  
  For some stylistically-similar examples, please see: Abel-Vidor, Suzanne. "Between Continents/Between Seas: Precolumbian Art of Costa Rica." Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1981, p. 193, figs. 90, 91.
  
  For another stylistically-similar example, please see The Walters Art Museum, accession number 2009.20.45: https://art.thewalters.org/detail/80200/crocodile-effigy-incense-burner/
  
  Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; exhibited at the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York, USA
  
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  #139305

  Condition

  Base, lid, and handle professionally repaired from multiple large pieces with resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Minor nicks and abrasions to foot, body, lid, and handle, with softening to some finer details, and light encrustations. Light earthen deposits throughout. Old inventory label beneath foot.
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