Lot 23
  • 23

Costa Rican polychrome vase of the tlaloc effigy, Guanacaste-Nicoya region, Period VI, ca. A.D. 1000-1500

Estimate
6,000 - 9,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • clay
the face of the distinctive goggle-eyed rain deity Tlaloc with recessed blackened eyes, small modeled nose with flared nostrils and modeled ears, the downturned mouth also shown as a reptile or frog's face with black tongue extended and eyes flanking the mouth, a band extending around the back with repeat plumed serpent imagery. 

Condition

Overall good, has stabilized crack from rim down into left eye, some repairs to base ,minor old scratches and chips to rim.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The Tlaloc effigy is one of the three major themes of the white-slipped pottery of the Greater Nicoya region, along with the jaguar- man scenes and the plumed serpent. The contact between the Nicoya and central Mesoamerican cultures happened over many migrations,  and is most evident by shared iconography after AD 700, coinciding with the fall of Teotihuacan. See Stone (1977:70, figs. 95 and 96) for the Tlaloc vessels.