Affordable Pre-Columbian Mayan Head Fragment

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #575712

This nicely mounted Maya head fragment still retains most of its detail and much white slip. The slip and curvature of the fragment indicates that it may have once been a part of a ceramic vessel or larger figure. There aren't many affordable examples of Maya art on the market these days, but this is a nice little piece for someone without a lot of money to spend.

AGE: 250-900 A.D. ... Click for details

Pre-Columbian Chorrera Mammiform Bowl

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #575711

Whereas the later Jamacoaque culture would widely employ the use of molds to make ceramic figures, the earlier Chorrera culture of Ecuador (1200-500 BC) perfected the construction of hollow figures and ceramics. Most Chorrera figures, pots, and bowls feature hollow elements such as whistles or rattles. This particular bowl has six mammiform legs that once held rattles; most have been lost, but a few legs still rattle when shook. Chorrera ceramics also generally feature a great deal of burnishing... Click for details

Pre-Columbian Jamacoaque Shaman taking Hallucinogens

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #537152

This incredibly detailed Jamacoaque figure from Ecuador shows a shaman in the act of snorting hallucinogens from his snuff tube. He is rendered in incredible detail, with his open hand held up to the side of his head in a disoriented fashion as the drugs take effect. Hallucinogen use is a common motif in Jamacoaque art, which aided in the shaman's transformation to another state, typically into a ferocious jaguar. Saunders' "Icons of Power: Feline Symbolism in the Americas" notes that jaguar symb... Click for details

Pre-Columbian Fragment from a Burner, Teotihuacan

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #510975

This interesting piece is a fragment from a burner, a common domestic object found in household debris from the sprawling residential area around ancient Teotihuacan. As you can discern from the slope of the attached remnant bowl, the prong with the adorno would have been mounted on the inside rim of the bowl with the face oriented outward. Three of these prongs would have been spaced at even intervals around the bowl, with a hole running down the length of each. In daily use, a stick would have... Click for details

Pre-Columbian Fragment from a Burner, Teotihuacan

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #507162
burn1

This interesting piece is a fragment from a burner, a common domestic object found in household debris from the sprawling residential area around ancient Teotihuacan. As you can discern from the slope of the attached remnant bowl, the prong with the adorno would have been mounted on the inside rim of the bowl with the face oriented outward. Three of these prongs would have been spaced at even intervals around the bowl, with a hole running down the length of each. In daily use, a stick would have... Click for details

Jamacoaque Warrior

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #502215
JM512

An exceptional Jamacoaque warrior figure from Ecuador, ca. 350 BC - 400 AD. This marvelous example is 6-1/2" high, 8" long and is posed standing. He is depicted holding a long club in each hand, ready to do battle. He is wearing a loincloth and is adorned with extensive jewelry, including a large pectoral, multiple ear ornaments, a fancy necklace and matching bracelets. A large and ornate emblem is attached to the forehead. He is attached to a 4-1/2" diameter bowl via a hollow tube. Over... Click for details

Moche Death Vessel

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #502152
MO543

An exceptional Moche IV Death vessel from Peru, ca. 450 - 550 AD. The head and facial features of this 10" high bottle are rendered in superb detail, with individually incised teeth showing in the open mouth, the deeply sunken eyes and the characteristic two-part layered turban molded in high relief. The body of the bottle is decorated in Fineline style, with the hands each depicted holding objects and the sleeves of his garment accented with superb decorative details. In excellent condition,... Click for details

Whimsical Pre-Columbian Hunchback Figure, Colima

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #499899

This happy little hunchbacked water bearer vessel shows the depth of Colima statuary.

Colima is one of the tiniest modern states in Mexico, located in the west-central region bordering the Pacific Ocean. Archaeologists refer to the culture that flourished there in ancient times by its modern name since very little information is known about the people themselves. In comparison with the high civilizations of the Olm... Click for details

Choice Mayan Eccentric of a Scorpion, Obsidian

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #499897

Mayan eccentrics are tiny, fascinating works of art whose purpose is still poorly understood. Eccentrics are thin, finely-knapped ceremonial objects made of obsidian, chalcedony, flint or chert. They are typically assumed to have served ritual functions and are generally found in caches in ceremonial contexts. Eccentrics take many shapes, including real or mythological creatures and important symbols from the Mayan world. They were produced over a very wide time span with Classic period producti... Click for details

Perfect Mayan Eccentric of a Serpent Deity, Chalcedony

Archives: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian Pre AD 1000: item #499895

Mayan eccentrics are tiny, fascinating works of art whose purpose is still poorly understood. Eccentrics are thin, finely-knapped ceremonial objects made of obsidian, chalcedony, flint or chert. They are typically assumed to have served ritual functions and are generally found in caches in ceremonial contexts. Eccentrics take many shapes, including real or mythological creatures and important symbols from the Mayan world. They were produced over a very wide time span with Classic period producti... Click for details