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THBLarge Costa Rican Stone Figure w/ Trophy Heads
Lot 62a
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:
$5,000 - $8,000
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| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Nov 14, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-11-14 10:00:00
2019-11-14 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ethnographic | Tribal | American Frontier
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ethnographic-tribal-american-frontier-4634
Featuring Pre-Columbian, Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, historical examples from the Spanish, Mexican, and American frontiers, fossils, and more. All items offered for sale have been legally acquired, are legal to sell and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring Pre-Columbian, Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, historical examples from the Spanish, Mexican, and American frontiers, fossils, and more. All items offered for sale have been legally acquired, are legal to sell and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (373)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Atlantic watershed, ca. 300 to 800 CE. A very unique statue of a male figure, skillfully carved from volcanic stone, nude save a garland of severed head ornaments wrapped around his body. He holds an axe in his left hand which is held behind his back, and places his right hand atop his forehead as if peering into the distance or perhaps representing a ceremonial gesture. His physiognomy is boldly rendered and presents a nicely delineated visage, feet/toes, and large hands/fingers. His expression is one of reverence with closed coffee bean shaped eyes framed by a thick browline that leads to the bridge of his nose, closed full lips, and protruding ears. The trophy head garland and that intimidating weapon he holds are gruesome reminders of mano a mano (hand to hand) combat as well as the ancient practice of valuing trophy heads which were understood as a shamanic means of protection from evil in ancient Costa Rica. Size: 13.25" W x 20.375" H (33.7 cm x 51.8 cm)
Artists in ancient Costa Rica and nearby Panama sculpted disembodied human heads which were likely intended to represent trophy heads. Ethnographic accounts from the region tell of a tradition both before and after the Spanish Conquest of taking trophy heads as a result of warfare. Although their use of war as a tool for acquiring resources and consolidating control under specific leaders is the same as ours today, theirs also had a supernatural element to it. The taking of the head was seen as an organized form of violence related to shamanism designed to protect the community from any evil, including disease and sorcery. If a shaman's head was taken, then due to his or her supernatural skills, it could still have power, even when separated from the rest of the body.
See a warrior figure with a trophy head in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1979.206.422).
Provenance: private Honolulu, Hawaii, USA collection
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.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#150458A few old surface chips here and there, particularly pronounced on the back of one leg. Otherwise intact with a weathered surface commensurate with age. Nice preservation of form. Covered with earthen deposits.Condition
- Shipping Info
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