Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Atlantic Watershed, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. A very nice example of a jaguar effigy metate depicting the wild feline as Janus-headed, with a head projecting from either end, standing on all fours with a broad, slightly convex back/table forming the grinding surface, expertly carved from one piece of volcanic stone with refined dimensions and skillfully incised details. The piece is also decorated with attractive striated bands around the periphery of the table. Size: 11.75" L x 8.75" W x 5" H (29.8 cm x 22.2 cm x 12.7 cm)
Metate technology developed initially for the utilitarian purpose of grinding corn; however, the objects evolved into meaningful ritual objects, replete with strong iconography and intriguing sculptural forms. Examples with elaborate decorative carving and iconographic symbolism were sometimes used to seat a departed lord on his journey to the afterlife. Jaguar imagery symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world; hence, warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World.
Provenance: ex-private Pearson collection, Denver, Colorado, USA
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#143165
Condition
Surface shows normal weathering, but it is intact and very nice overall.