Lot 225
Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Pacific Slope, ca. 900 to 1530 CE. A huge jaguar metate with a very large table/seat, expertly carved from one piece of volcanic stone with refined dimensions and intricately incised as well as openwork details. The sculptor of this piece successfully created an expressive countenance on the wild feline; just look at those bulging eyes, gnashing fangs, alert ears, and snarling snout as he stands proudly on three legs with intertwining motifs that perhaps are intended to represent his spotted coat, that same motif decorating his neck. The jaguar's head as well as the borders of the seat are further adorned with stylized geometric motifs. Among the most magnificent examples we have ever had the pleasure of handling. Size: 17.25" L x 8.25" W x 8.625" H (43.8 cm x 21 cm x 21.9 cm)
Metates were initially created to grind foods such as corn, certainly a utilitarian purpose; however, they evolved into meaningful ritual objects, replete with strong iconography and intriguing sculptural forms have transformed these objects into much more than a tool. Examples with this degree of decorative carving and iconographic symbolism were sometimes used to seat a departed lord on his journey to the afterlife. Jaguar imagery symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world; hence, warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World.
Provenance: collection of the late Alfred E. Stendahl, Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA
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#126345
- Condition: Seat repaired from about three to four pieces with losses to corners, flat seat, and textile motif top border as shown. Nice remains of white pigment on teeth/fangs with traces of red pigment here and there and mineral deposits.
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