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LOT 2122
Pre-Columbian Colima Double-Headed Effigy Incense Burner
CIRCA 300 B.C.-300 A.D.
15 1/2 in. (2.37 kg, 39.5 cm).
Terracotta bifacial burner, the bowl formed as a human mask to each broad face with applied grotesque detailing and notched rim; central column below, voided and developing to a pair of straddling legs with male genitals; arched horse-shoe handle above with applied pellets to the outer edge.
ProvenanceAcquired Bonhams, Knightsbridge, London, UK.
Ex London, UK, gallery.
Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.C124d53 from Oxford Authentication.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12158-217338.
See Parsons, L., Pre Columbian Art, The Morton D May and The Saint Louis Art Museum Collections, Harper and Row, New York, 1980, p.90.
FootnotesThese janiform sculptures form an unusual subset of the Colima corpus and are believed to represent the rain god Tlaloc with the handle represented as snakes. This present example is notable for its size with some remaining original pigment remaining. These sculptures are thought to represent rain, earth and fertility.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 2122
Pre-Columbian Colima Double-Headed Effigy Incense Burner
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
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Pre-Columbian Mayan Carved Stone Panther Statue
Circa 550-900 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
In crouching pose with teeth bared and tail laid along the spine, recess to the upper face; old collector's tag 'Copan / Honduras / ex Waldinga / CARR'. 2.07 kg, 22 cm
Ex Fishman private collection, USA. From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Pre-Columbian Chipiquaro Terracotta Figure
Pre-Classic Period, circa 1200-500 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Crouching figure with exaggerated facial features, pierced for suspension; mounted on a square stand with label 'Mexico. Tatilco/Chipiquaro Culture Pre-Classic 1200-500 BC. Ex Mr J. Hillenius Amsterdam Artist'. 55.5 grams total including stand, 33 mm
From the private collection of Mr J Hilenius, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Pre-Columbian Nayarit Terracotta Pottery Figure
Circa 100 B.C.-500 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Seated male figure drinking from a spherical jar, with painted decoration to the reverse; discoid base with three stub legs. 453 grams, 15.5 cm
Collected from the 1980s onwards, from the Romy Rey (1938-2020) collection, London, UK. with Christie's, London, 25 March 1986, no.130 (part). Property of a Bristol, UK, gentleman.
The drink is possibly pulque, one of the oldest alcoholic beverages known to have been used in Mexico.
