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LOT 2594
Aztec Stone Seated Figure
MEXICO, 1400-1500 A.D.
3 3/4 in. (5 1/8 in.) (288 grams, 97 mm (436 grams total, 13 cm including stand)).
Carved seated figure wearing jaguar-skin cowl shown with hands resting above the abdomen with recess to accept a sacred object; mounted on a custom-made stand.
Provenancewith Sotheby's, Parke Bernet, 31 May 1975, no.292.
Private collection, London, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Exhibited Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA, accession no.4462.
LiteratureSee Olguin, F., Aztecs, Royal Academy of Arts, Spain, 2003, p.73, for a similar seated figure.
FootnotesThe jaguar-skin cowl is an emblem of power and shamanic transformation in Mesoamerican cultures and was particularly adopted by the Aztec civilization to harness the power of the predator. This piece shows an interesting patina of lines and wear, possibly from exposure to water from ancient times.
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AUCTIONS:
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Pre-Columbian Veracruz Stone Hacha in the Form of Xipe Totec Deity
Mexico, 5th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Carved stone hacha of a lifelike anthropomorphic head with prominent ovoid eyes slanted inward; open, fish-like mouth and broad, rounded nose beneath a backward-sweeping crest; mounted on a custom-made stand. 3.21 kg total, 24.7 cm high
Arthur and Lillian Weiss collection, New England, USA, 1970s. Saint Petersburg collection, Florida, USA. with Artemis Gallery, Colorado, USA, 2 May 2021. Private collection, London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The image of Xipe Totec, deity of spring and rebirth was strongly adopted in Veracruz through the classic period. The deity is often displayed wearing the skin of a sacrificial victim with mouth open. -
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Moche Tumbago Royal Janus Portrait Figure with Inlaid Eyes and Teeth
300-600 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £8,450
Hollow-formed janiform mask with possibly later shell inlays to the eyes and grimacing mouth; mounted on a custom-made stand. 305 grams total, figure: 60 mm wide (17.3 cm including stand)
Wally and Brenda Zollman, Indianapolis; acquired prior to 1989. Splendours of the World (Jerry Bock), New York, USA. Acquired from the above at a New York fair by the present owner, circa 2017. Part of the Zollman Collection which was published by the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1989. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12892-237876. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This striking and fine example of Moche metalwork shows the feline deity with threatening snarl and teeth finely carved in shell. This fine and powerful example would have been made for an important individual as a symbol of power. -
Pre-Columbian Olmec Stone Mask
1st millennium B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £1,235
Carved with voids to the open mouth and eyes, four lateral attachment points. 426 grams, 11.1 cm
Acquired on the UK art market in the early 2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
