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THBVera Cruz Terracotta Sonriente Ocarina
Lot 81
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:
$1,500 - $3,000
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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
Nov 14, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-11-14 10:00:00
2019-11-14 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ethnographic | Tribal | American Frontier
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ethnographic-tribal-american-frontier-4634
Featuring Pre-Columbian, Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, historical examples from the Spanish, Mexican, and American frontiers, fossils, and more. All items offered for sale have been legally acquired, are legal to sell and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring Pre-Columbian, Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, historical examples from the Spanish, Mexican, and American frontiers, fossils, and more. All items offered for sale have been legally acquired, are legal to sell and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (373)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast Mexico, Vera Cruz, ca. 3rd to 7th century CE. A wonderfully expressive terracotta sonriente figure that also functions as an ocarina, with a mouthpiece at the top of the head and a hole low on its back for emitting sound. Sonrientes, or "smiling faces" are the most famous sculptural works from this period in Veracruz (known as Remojadas for its keystone archaeological site). A quintessential example of this type, the figure depicts a wide childlike face - smiling so as to reveal filed teeth. Contributing further to its appearance, the figure also wears traditional jewelry - pointed ear ornaments as well as a special pectoral with delicately carved cowrie shells flanking a bell-like pendant; interestingly cowrie shells are native to Africa and the Pacific coast and were likely traded to the indigenous of Veracruz. Additionally, his visage is topped by an elaborate headdress with incised spiraled motifs and a central relief band that is incised with vertical striations. Twin bas relief horizontal bands adorn his chest, and finally, a loincloth is wrapped around his lower body. What's more, the ocarina produces a lovely musical sound! Size: 6.75" W x 11.375" H (17.1 cm x 28.9 cm); 11.75" H (29.8 cm) on included custom stand.
Smiling faces are very rare in most of Mesoamerican art: however, Remojadas and the surrounding area are known for these Sonrientes figures. This has prompted a mystery for archaeologists to solve. Why that smile? Well some scholars believe that it was hallucinogenically produced perhaps by ingesting alcoholic pulque, while others including Miller and Taube suggest that the smiling figures were actually performers. (See Miller and Taube , The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. London: Thames and Hudson, 1993, p. 10.)
For a stylistically-similar Sonriente example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession number 1979.206.561).
Provenance: private West Palm Beach, Florida, USA collection
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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#146062Repaired from about 6 pieces with restored loin cloth and right hand and restoration over the breaklines. Normal surface wear with nicks to high-pointed areas. Amazing root marks on back of the head/headdress. Nice mineral deposits on the verso. An ocarina as well, the figure produces a musical tone as well.Condition
- Shipping Info
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