Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Vera Cruz culture, ca. 200-600 CE. This Veracruz sculptural whistle assumes the form of an elite figure adorned with red body paint, large ear spools, and characteristically prominent headdress. While a large fragment, the piece boasts a magnificent visage and is quite poignant and representative of the culture. Mexican artist and cultural historian Miguel Covarrubias in his classic tome Indian Art of Mexico and Central America (1957) described Vera Cruz ceramics as "powerful and expressive, endowed with a charm and sensibility unprecedented in other, more formal cultures."(Covarrubias, Indian Art of Mexico and Central America, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, p. 191) Whistle figure is 6 1/2"T - 7 3/4"T on stand

Provenance: Ex-Gilbert Martin Collection, Georgia, USA

All items offered for sale are legal to buy/sell under U.S. statutes covering cultural patrimony per United States Code 2600, CHAPTER 14 -- CONVENTION ON CULTURAL PROPERTY, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids, papered by our parent company, Artemis Gallery Ancient Art.

  • Condition: Some loss at neckpiece and left earspool. Large fragment. Else appears to be in excellent condition.

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March 14, 2014 9:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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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 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000