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THBLong Maya Bone Comb w/ Sacrificial Human Skull
Lot 220
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:
$4,000 - $6,000
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| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
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| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jan 16, 2020
Set Reminder
2020-01-16 10:00:00
2020-01-16 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient | Asian | Ethnographic
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-asian-ethnographic-4799
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (408)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Maya, ca. 550 to 950 CE. Hand-carved from human or deer bone, a ceremonial comb of a long trapezoidal form with eleven teeth at the lower end and a mesmerizing bas relief composition depicting two lords and two sacrificial human skulls. The lord above sits in profile facing left (his right) with a skull before him in his grasp. He wears an elaborate headdress and earspool, and the features of his noble visage are finely delineated. Below him and on the left side of the comb is another human skull. Below this is another lord with his head dramatically turned 90 degrees, donning a plumed headdress with additional bird feathers in the vicinity. Scarlet red cinnabar was rubbed into the recesses of the carved imagery making for a wonderful contrast and adding even more beauty to the piece. Size: 5.25" H (13.3 cm); 6.125" H (15.6 cm) on included custom stand.
Trophy heads were a near-universal constant in Mesoamerican imagery for millennia. By the Classic Maya period, scholars believe that the taking of actual trophy heads, for the most part, had been replaced by the ball from the ballgame (as in the Popol Vuh, where a decapitated head was originally used instead of a rubber ball).
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Ian Arundel collection, California, USA, the Old Curiosity Cabinet, Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, California, USA, collected 1950-1970
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.
#144341Repaired from multiple pieces with slight restoration over the break lines, but very well done and difficult to see. Normal age wear. Nice deposits grace the surface. Liberal remains of red cinnabar embellish the carving. Imagery is quite vivid.Condition
- Shipping Info
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