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THBImpressive Taino Stone Vomit Stick w/ Zemi Figure
Lot 100
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
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$3,000 - $4,500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Dec 2, 2021
Set Reminder
2021-12-02 10:00:00
2021-12-02 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Fine Antiquities | Asian | Ethnographic Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-art-7918
Features classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Features classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (346)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Caribbean, Dominican Republic, Taino, ca. 15th century CE. This is a fascinating spatula or vomiting stick, hand-carved from a tan stone into the form of a zemi (cemi) - a deity or ancestral spirit who is housed in a sculpted object. The face is wide-eyed and reminiscent of a skull - the eyes sockets and prominent cheekbones add to the cadaverous appearance. Upon the brow and headdress are faint incised geometric and linear glyphs. The body below is abstract and stylized, the arms and legs pulled up into a crouching position, string cut grooves outline the limbs, and terminate in a pointed paddle shape. The bohiques were a class of shaman priests who often engaged in the taking of hallucinogenic drugs to aid in rituals and ceremonies, and this type of stone spatula was used in the Cohoba ritual to induce vomiting - this purging coupled with fasting, allowed the shamans to have the purest high from the Cohoba powder. Size: 2.75" L x 1.5" W x 9.75" H (7 cm x 3.8 cm x 24.8 cm); 12.5" H (31.8 cm) on included custom stand.
In Taino culture death was a transitory period; the boundaries between life and death seem to have felt more porous to the Taino than they do to us today. Shamans, for example, are often depicted as skeletal figures, perhaps because of their requirements to fast and vomit in order to ingest the chemicals that would put them into a spiritual state. This imagery, with its exaggerated enormous eye sockets is probably designed to show a shaman breaching the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead.
Provenance: private Florida, USA collection, acquired 1950 through 1980, thence to current owner by inheritance
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.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#168348Surface abrasions and chips to spatula tip and high pointed areas, but otherwise intact and very good. Some softening of incised details on brow due to exposure to elements, but facial features are clear. Scattered mineral deposits.Condition
- Shipping Info
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