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THBFine Paracas Bone & Turquoise Spatula - Eagle & Human
Lot 159a
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:
$1,500 - $2,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Mar 21, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-03-21 10:00:00
2019-03-21 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Fine Ancient | Asian | Ethnographic Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-ancient-asian-ethnographic-art-3967
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe, plus fine art. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe, plus fine art. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (383)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Central Coast Peru, Paracas, ca. 500 to 100 BCE. A large spatula carved from a human leg bone used for extracting lime powder from a container as part of an elaborate shamanic ritual of ingesting hallucinogenic drugs like coca. The long bone has a gently curving body with most of its length hollowed out to form a trough. Perched at one end is a stylized eagle with wings folded against the incised lattice-pattern body and eyes inlaid with petite turquoise beads. Beneath the bird is an abstract anthropomorphic face - perhaps a trophy head - which laterally protrudes from the shoulder of the trough, its nose flush with the cheeks and mouth, and similar inlaid turquoise beads comprising the eyes and ornamentation beneath the top of the trough. Size: 11" L (27.9 cm); 6.3" H (16 cm) on included custom stand.
The depiction of avian figures in Paracas art is a common yet symbolically-significant motif which is varied, rich, and reflects the many birds native to their homeland on the central and southern coast lines of Peru. Paracas artists emphasized the more fearsome aspects of all the animals they depicted, here with a prominent aquiline bead taking precedence. Birds often accompany trophy head art, and there are also "bird impersonators" - human figures with avian characteristics - who also appear on Paracas textiles; this suggests a tradition of performance where humans dressed as birds. Hallucinogenic drugs like coca were often used by shamans to enter a spiritual state where they could become one with animal life.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany
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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#144589Small nicks to end of trough, trophy head, and eagle, with expected ossification and darkening commensurate with age, and minor softening to some finer details. Light earthen deposits and nice patina throughout.Condition
- Shipping Info
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