Lot 159

Maya Apple Green Jade Effigy Supernatural Figure

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Maya Apple Green Jade Effigy Supernatural Figure

Estimate: $1,800 - $2,700

Starting Bid: $750

(0 Bids)

October 2, 2025 8:00 AM MDT (In Progress)
Live Auction
Louisville, CO, US


Description:

Pre-Columbian, Lowland Maya region (likely Guatemala or Chiapas), Classic Period, ca. 250–900 CE. This expressive jadeite effigy represents a supernatural Maya figure, boldly carved with exaggerated, bulging circular eyes, deeply incised facial contours, and a notably protruding tongue — an iconographic hallmark of ritual intensity, divine speech, or aggressive transformation. The stylized features and animated form align closely with depictions of Wayob (spirit companions or shamanic alter-egos), or divine beings in ecstatic or trance-like states. Drilled horizontally and vertically for suspension. Size: .875" W x .875" H (2.2 cm x 2.2 cm)

The choice of bright green jadeite, a sacred material in Maya cosmology, further elevates the object's ritual significance. Jade was associated with fertility, breath, maize, and rulership, and was commonly reserved for elite regalia, offerings, or funerary use. Such head carvings were often used as pendants, earflare fronts, or ritual inlays. While some stylistic elements (notably the wide, circular eyes) echo depictions of the monkey scribe twins Hun Batz and Hun Chuen, the extended tongue strongly suggests an alternate divine identity — potentially related to K’awiil, the god of lightning and dynastic legitimacy, or a transforming Way spirit, invoked through shamanic ritual. The figure’s intense gaze and gestural expressiveness place it within the broader Maya visual tradition of animated portraiture and divine embodiment. Objects of this type are documented in major institutional collections, including the Museo Popol Vuh (Guatemala), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the British Museum.

Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Inventory notes show it was "cleaned in 2007."

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#196346

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000