Description:

Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Teotihuacan culture, ca. 3rd to 7th century CE. A wonderful relief panel carved from light brown stone depicting a plump coatimundi. The raccoon-like coatimundi stands atop four attenuated legs and faces towards the right of the rectangular panel, peers towards the viewer with a single wide eye, and displays incised striations indicative of hair on its body and tail. Three cylindrical protrusions stick out from beneath the mammalian creature with three solid nodules poking out above the tail and a lateral columnar bar. Traces of red and grey-black pigment are visible across the carving and suggest that bright colors once adorned this incredible artifact. Size: 19.1" W x 6.7" H (48.5 cm x 17 cm)

The raccoon-like coatimundi (or coati) was easily tamed in domestic contexts, and its funny antics made it a popular pet among the ancients of the Americas. What’s more, scholars posit that the ancients believed supernatural powers were inherent to the coatimundi and thus explained their symbolic importance. According to Peterson and Green, "The coati's foraging and playfulness help explain its close associations with agriculture and ritual clowning . . .These are celebrated by traditional cultures from the Southwest United States down through Middle America and appear to have great antiquity." (Jeanette Favrot Peterson with essay by Judith Strupp Green, "Precolumbian Flora and Fauna: Continuity of Plant and Animal Themes in Mesoamerican Art" Mingei International Museum of World Folk Art, 1990, p. 52)

Provenance: ex-Alfred Stendahl collection, owner of Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired before 1975

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#153822

  • Condition: Chips and abrasions to obverse, peripheries, and verso, with fading to original pigment, and minor softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and excellent. Nice earthen deposits throughout and light remains of original pigment on obverse. Old inventory number "7757" written in black ink on verso.

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April 9, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
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