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THBNazca Polychrome Portrait Vessel / Trophy Head Vessel
Lot 241
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:
$1,400 - $2,000
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| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $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
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, South Coast Peru, Nazca culture, ca. 100 to 300 CE. A fabulous ceramic "trophy head" vessel with a round but stable base, gently tapering walls, a deep interior cavity, and a thick, rolled rim. The exterior features a stylized human face with elongated diamond-shaped eyes under thin brows, a projecting sculpted nose, thin lips below a slender mustache, and orange "sunburst" panels beneath each eye indicative of tattooing, blood, or flayed skin. The "head" features the characteristic black-outlined, colorful painted details atop a flesh-hued ground of much Nazca art, and a register of pyramid-stepped forms encircling his forehead. Size: 5.75" W x 5.95" H (14.6 cm x 15.1 cm)
In Nazca culture - and other ancient Peruvian cultures - the decapitation and ritual use of human heads was common; many mythical figures and kings known from Nazca pottery are shown holding trophy heads or in the presence of trophy heads. This kero shows an unassociated trophy head, with no one holding it, which is a style of depiction common only to Nazca art. Archaeological evidence from the 20th century shows that these stylized paintings are based on real rituals - over one hundred mummified trophy heads have been found from Nazca excavations, almost all with a puncture to the front of the skull for suspension. Archaeologists specializing this culture continue to argue over the significance of these heads in Nazca culture - Warriors fallen in battle? Taking the power of enemies by assuming ownership of a crucial part of their bodies? Remembrance of deceased relatives? The artwork here is an intriguing reminder of this lost culture.
Provenance: ex-private T. Misenhimer collection, Beverly Hills, California, USA, collected from 1970-2008
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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#150533Expertly repaired and restored from multiple pieces. This is so well done as to be almost invisible. Small areas of overpainting along the repair lines. Light wear to pigment elsewhere but overall the motifs are brilliantly preserved.Condition
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