Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Guanacaste-Nicoya, Period IV, ca. 1st to 5th century CE. A finely-preserved mace head, hand-carved from sage-hued greenstone, with the stylized likeness of a jaguar emanating from the front. The feline countenance exhibits deeply drilled circular eyes, a powerful snout above thick jowls, and rows of teeth bared between a pair of circular cheek impressions. The petite size is unusual for mace heads of this time period - which were large enough to mount and use on a battlefield - and the original caliche surfaces illustrate how it has never been polished. Size: 2.56" L x 2.03" W x 1.35" H (6.5 cm x 5.2 cm x 3.4 cm)

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1979.206.767

Provenance: Private Ellicott City, Maryland, USA collection acquired from Artemis Gallery in 2006

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#183769

  • Condition: Intact and choice with excellent preservation to original caliche on surfaces.

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March 1, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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