Lot 110
Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Magdalena R. basin, Tolima, ca. 800 to 1500 CE. Painstakingly handbuilt via the coiling technique, a colossal human effigy lidded ceramic burial urn created to hold skeletal remains of a cherished ancestor, the vessel walls decorated with a visage comprised of coffee-bean eyes, a naturalistic nose donning a nosering, a petite slightly open mouth - the entire face outlined via a long applied coil. The rest presents an undecorated surface save the large coil impressed with triangular motifs on the rim. Woven ring shown at base used for stability during photography not included. Size: 15.5" W x 24.5" H (39.4 cm x 62.2 cm)
In the valley of the River Magdalena, ancient rituals related to the preparation of the body of the deceased for its journey to the afterlife involved the practice of secondary burials in urns like this example. According to the curatorial department of the Museo del Oro Banco de la Republica, "There are two different stages in the secondary burial funerary custom: first of all a primary burial takes place, where the corpse is buried for a certain period of time established in the ritual, and then after this, it is exhumed for burial once more in an urn, possibly amidst a great collective ceremony. Urns have been found in well tombs with side chamber, with certain local and regional variations. The chambers contain between three and seventy urns, each holding charred bone remains, large fractured bones, and fragments of skull. Each is accompanied by pots, bowls and goblets, most of which were made exclusively for the dead person, for they show no signs of having been used. Spindle whorls, rollers and axes have also been found." Examples from the Tolima culture are exceedingly rare.
Provenance: Ex- J. Smith collection, Atlanta, GA
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#120649
- Condition: Repaired from many pieces. Nice manganese deposits on the surface.
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