Lot 9B
Pre-Columbian, Caribbean, Taino, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A masterfully carved Taino duho or ceremonial stool, hewn from dense greenish-black stone into a sensuous, low-slung form supported by four stumpy legs. The seat surface is gently curved, with a carved groove at the posterior edge echoing the scalloped silhouette of the whole. At the front, the body extends into a boldly rendered anthropomorphic face with broad nose, pierced nostrils, rounded eyes, and a bared toothy grin, its features deeply incised and emphasized with concentric linear patterning that continues across the flanking panels. The surface on the reverse is smooth and undecorated except for the raised hemispherical legs, highlighting the duality between the practical and the sacred. Duhos were prestige objects - seats of authority and spiritual power for caciques (chiefs) and behiques (shamans), often used in cohoba rituals to communicate with zemi spirits. The carved face likely represents a zemi - a deity or ancestral force - whose visage imbued the seat with both protection and presence. Size: 14.2" L x 7.5" W x 3.3" H (36.1 cm x 19 cm x 8.4 cm)
The fine polish and intricate linear ornamentation reflect the Taino's deep respect for materials and their belief in the animate quality of stone. This duho serves as a powerful testament to the ceremonial and political life of the Taino people prior to European contact.
According to the A History of the World in 100 Objects website, a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum: "The Taino people believed that they lived in parallel with an invisible world of ancestors and gods, from whom their leaders could seek knowledge of the future. A duho would be owned only by the most important members of a community, and it was the vital means of getting through to the realm of the spirits. It was in one sense a throne, but it was also a portal, and a vehicle to the supernatural world
.This is a seat for a leader, for the chief of a village or a region. Taino leaders were both male and female, and the duho embodied their social, political and religious power, and it was crucial to the functioning of their society. We know that in at least one instance a leader was buried sitting on his duho."
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
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#195073
- Condition: A few minor nicks to surface, but, otherwise, intact and excellent with impressively preserved detail and smooth surfaces. Earthen deposits in some recessed areas.
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