Mezcala Pre-Columbian Three Headed Stone Figure

Pre-Columbian Jaguar Head Pottery Pendant, with traces of green glaze. 2" H x 2" W x 1" D. Provenance: From a New York City Collection.

Neoclassical Style Gilded Plaster Female Figure Sculpture, possibly the Greek goddess Hebe, holding an urn and standing upon a round base. Diameter. Provenance: From a New York City...

Introducing a remarkable artifact from the Pre-Columbian period—a primitive head figure intricately carved from stone. This ancient relic stands proudly...

Nicoya Ceremonial Basalt Stone Seat in Shape of a Jaguar. Published in the Arizona Museum. This large and finely carved example of Costa Rican skill and craftsmanship is in the form of a jaguar which may have been a lineage or clan symbol - as also was the crocodile - according to 16th-century Spanish conquistadors. There are so many features that make this masterpiece so unique. The most realistic depiction is the face with its head captured in a pose that is threatening and fierce. Sculptors in ancient Central America developed elaborate metate forms that were associated with high status and wealth. They were commonly placed within graves of prominent individuals. Certain ancient rituals must have incorporated this activity and required special metates to be created for this purpose. It may have also served as a throne for the ruler, for whom the assurance of the fertility of his land and people would have been paramount. Even today, stone metates...