Rio Magdalena Moskito Pottery Urn w/ Lid, TL Tested

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Ancient | Asian | Ethno | Native American Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 1, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-06-01 10:00:00 2023-06-01 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient | Asian | Ethno | Native American Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-asian-ethno-native-american-art-12905
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• Lot Description
  Pre-Columbian, Northern Colombia, Rio Magdalena, Moskito, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A This is an incredible funerary effigy vessel with a figural lid, and a conical urn with zoomorphic handles- all hand coiled and hand shaped. The stylized figure sits on a tripodal seat surmounted to the domed lid, with hands resting on knees, and a protruding spinal column hint at a skeletal element to the otherwise cylindrical body. The angular head has a focused trance-like visage with squinting eyes, a curved nose with septum piercing, an impressed mouth, and pierced ears - presumably for the suspension of decorative ornaments. The urn basin is deep with slightly incurved lip to support the lid. The 4 lug handles are formed by bird or amphibian heads, their legs trailing below along the wall. Urns were used for secondary burial of important individuals' long bones, after years of primary burial after their bones had been de-fleshed. Size: 8" Diameter x 14" H (20.3 cm x 35.6 cm); 15" H (38.1 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  In the valley of the River Magdalena, ancient rituals related to the preparation of the body of the deceased for its journey to the afterlife involved the practice of secondary burials in urns like this example. According to the curatorial department of the Museo del Oro Banco de la Republica, "There are two different stages in the secondary burial funerary custom: first of all a primary burial takes place, where the corpse is buried for a certain period of time established in the ritual, and then after this, it is exhumed for burial once more in an urn, possibly amidst a great collective ceremony. Urns have been found in well tombs with side chamber, with certain local and regional variations. The chambers contain between three and seventy urns, each holding charred bone remains, large fractured bones, and fragments of skull. Each is accompanied by pots, bowls and goblets, most of which were made exclusively for the dead person, for they show no signs of having been used. Spindle whorls, rollers and axes have also been found."
  
  Scholars argue that the custom of creating burial urns is related to the association of bones with the afterlife. According to Armand Labbe's "Colombia Before Columbus," "There is a widespread belief among many Indians of both Middle and South America that bones are a form of seed, from which new life will spring. Recall the Mexican allegory of the personification of the dual lifeforce, Quetzalcoatl, descending to the underworld to retrieve the bones of mankind to resurrect them to a new life." Labbe continues, "Within the Colombian context, the act of placing bones in cylindrical, phalliform urns, and placing these in the womb-like shaft-and-chamber tomb within the Earth Mother, seems to be an enactment of such beliefs." (Labbe, Armand. "Colombia Before Columbus: The People, Culture, and Ceramic Art of Prehispanic Colombia." (1986) New York: Rizzoli, p. 116)
  
  This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report is available to the buyer upon request.
  
  Please note that this item is heavy/oversized. Please inquire about shipping prior to bidding.
  
  Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection, acquired June 2020, Lot 0032; ex-Antiques and Modern Gallery, West Palm Beach, Florida, 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.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #170497

  Condition

  Repaired and restored. Lid repaired with arms and legs reattached with infill to gaps and visible break lines. Stable fissure radiating across head and body with infill along fissure with new material. Stable fissure and chip on head. Three handle heads on urn are reattached with restoration to necks and area of restoration to rim. First TL hole inside base, 2nd TL hole on back of top left side of figure's head, 3rd TL hole on urn base, and 4th TL hole inside urn rim.
• Shipping Info

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