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THBMatched Veracruz Pottery Sonrientes - Male & Female
Lot 127d
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:
$10,000 - $15,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Dec 12, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-12-12 10:00:00
2019-12-12 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Holiday Sale - Antiquities / Ethnographic Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/holiday-sale---antiquities-ethnographic-art-4743
What to give this holiday season? You'll find plenty of options in our Dec. 12 auction that will cater to all tastes and budgets. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
What to give this holiday season? You'll find plenty of options in our Dec. 12 auction that will cater to all tastes and budgets. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (382)
- Lot Description
**Holiday Shipping Deadlines**
USA Domestic: 12/14 for Standard; 12/23 for Express; International: 12/7 for Standard; 12/19 for Express
Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast Mexico, Veracruz (Vera Cruz), Remojadas, ca. 600 to 800 CE. A beautiful matched pair of mold-formed pottery standing figures in an animated posture with both arms bent and hands raised. Sonrientes, or "smiling faces," are the most famous pottery from this period in Veracruz (known as Remojadas for its keystone archaeological site). The male figure stands nude with exposed genitalia, a tight chest wrap decorated with raised concentric circles, a beaded necklace, and a rectangular headdress with a zigzagging linear motif. The female exhibits more intricate decoration including a knee-length skirt with an elaborate, multi-panel geometric program as well as a grand headdress with lateral fringe and a charming right-facing monkey on the front. Faint traces of orange and pink pigment are visible across both figures and make them a desirable set from ancient Mexico! Custom museum-quality display stands included. Size of largest (female): 11" W x 13.25" H (27.9 cm x 33.7 cm); 13.625" H (34.6 cm) on included custom stand.
Smiling faces are very rare in Mesoamerican art, but in Remojadas and the surrounding area, there are thousands of these Sonrientes figures, leading to a mystery for archaeologists. Some have suggested that the smiles are the result of consuming the alcoholic beverage pulque, or taking hallucinogenic drugs; others see them as representing performers.
For more on Veracruz, please see "Ancient Art of Vera Cruz." Ethnic Arts Council of L.A., 1971. Also see "Ceremonial Sculpture of Ancient Vera Cruz." Hillwood Art Center, Long Island University, 1987, p. 60, no. 69.
A stylistically-similar example of just the male figure hammered for $32,500 at Christie's, New York "Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas including Property from the Estate of Ernst Beyeler" auction (May 10, 2012, lot 40): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/sculptures-statues-figures/veracruz-smiling-figure-remojadas-late-classic-ca-5556872-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5556872&sid=af6285a8-adfa-4991-8caa-6882f5f8b687
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Florida, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery, 2015; ex-Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA; ex-private artist's collection, Virginia, USA
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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#144366Both figures repaired from multiple pieces with light restoration, resurfacing, and overpainting along break lines. Both figures have minor abrasions to bodies, limbs, and heads, with softening to some finer details, and fading to original pigmentation. Light earthen deposits throughout.Condition
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