Lot 123
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Aztec, ca. 1450 CE. A finely carved translucent quartz eagle labret, a type of plug inserted through a piercing to adorn the lower lip. To the Aztecs, the eagle was the ultimate solar deity said to have been singed by the sun, and the sun was referred to as an "ascending eagle" or a "soaring eagle". In addition, the eagle was the emblem for one of their elite warrior organizations. Along with jaguar warriors, the eagle warriors associated themselves with the creatures of the sky and the underworld to signify their own military ferocity. Aztec rulers were likewise compared to eagles in order to emphasize their fearlessness and power. This labret represents an eagle head with a lofty hooked beak and a lively expression presenting wide open eyes and an open beak as if issuing a call. The extensive detailing on this piece is quite impressive. Notice the fine line markings highlighting its eyes, beak, and crest feathers - these recessed areas beautifully accented with red cinnabar. Size: 2.75" L x 1.25" W (7 cm x 3.2 cm); 6.625" H (16.8 cm) on included custom stand.
This piece came in a case that resembles a leather bound volume with the inscriptions "AZTEC INCIAN PRE-COLUMBIAN GLYPH" on the front cover, "AZTEC INDIAN PRE-COLUMBIAN GLYPH MEXICO CA. 1450" on the spine, and "BOUND BY LILLIAN M. MC CHESNEY - DESIGNED BY HAROLD J. MAKER" on the back cover. The interior is lined in a green veleveteen fabric.
Labrets, known as tentetl in Nahuatl, the Aztec language, were manifestations of political power. Interestingly, the Aztec title for the royal lord was huey tlahtoani, meaning "great speaker," hence, the adornment of the mouth was immensely symbolic. According to Patrick Hajovsky, a respected scholar of Aztec art, labrets were visual markers of the most eloquent speech deliverd by royalty and nobility. This labret, made from such a beautiful piece of quartz through which the celestial light shone, would have emphasized the rulers divine right to authority, and by extension confirm his position as the chosen individual who spoke for an empire. No wonder the insertion of a labret was an important component of a rulers accession ceremony.
Provenance: private S.H. collection, Santa Clara, California, USA; purchased from Arte Xibalba, Sarasota, Florida, USA, ex-John Deere (of tractor fame), acquired in the 1930s; This piece was purportedly originally acquired by a Belgian collector in France in the late 1960's and sold to the Deere family of Texas in the late 1970's. The Deere collection was bought by Ron Messick of Sante Fe in the 1990's and bought back by the same Belgian collector after Ron's death about 6 years ago.
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#129193
- Condition: Some stable cracks and loss to the plug terminal where black mineral deposits are visible. Quite rare.
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