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THBRare Mixtec Jade Bead - Serpent Head, ex-Sotheby's
Lot 105c
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:
$6,000 - $9,000
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| $300 | $50 |
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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
Aug 13, 2020
Set Reminder
2020-08-13 10:00:00
2020-08-13 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Fine Antiquities, Ethnographic & Fine Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-antiquities-ethnographic-fine-art-5415
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 Art, 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 Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (408)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Mixtec people, ca. 300 to 500 CE. A fantastical, stunning jade bead in the form of a serpent's head, painstakingly made by a Mixtec artisan using string cutting and drilling techniques to shape the forest green stone. The bead is drilled through along the length of the head, as if the cord to suspend it was passing through the snake's mouth and through its neck. The details of the head are rendered in relief, with the long tongue, dual curved fangs, wide, staring eyes, hinged jaw, and scaled skin all beautifully depicted. Size: 0.9" W x 1.45" H (2.3 cm x 3.7 cm)
The Mixtec believed in the sacred nature of serpents, like the god Quetzalcoatl, the "Plumed Serpent" or "Feathered Serpent", the snake deity who had many parallels in other Mesoamerican cultures. Worship of Quetzalcoatl helped create an alliance between the Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and Eastern Nahuas in the years immediately prior to and during the Spanish Conquest, with the major pilgrimage center at Cholula, Puebla, being compared to both Rome and Mecca by the Spaniards. The value of jade for people in ancient Central America lay in its symbolic power: perhaps its color was associated with water and vegetation, and it also seems to have related to beliefs about death and the afterlife. For example, the Maya placed jade beads in the mouths of the dead, and this pendant likely once adorned someone in the grave.
Provenance: private Florida, USA collection; ex-Manoogian Collection; ex-Keith Finello Collection (one of the finest private collections of Pre-Columbian jade); ex-Sotheby’s New York, USA, May 1991, Lot #405
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.
#149417Excellent condition with rich patina and light signs of wear and deposits around the socket.Condition
- Shipping Info
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