Veracruz Polychrome Tripod Plate, Los Tuxtlas style Late Classic, ca. A.D. 550-950

vividly painted with a stylized composite animal standing in profile, the bat-headed figure with massive rounded head and upturned nose, the arms reaching forward and with a long curling tail behind, the inside walls and rim with geometric repeat designs.

Harold Kaye
Everett Rassiga
Jay C. Leff Collection, acquired prior to 1966
Peter G. Wray Collection, acquired prior to 1981
New York private collectors, acquired by 1982
Sotheby's, New York, May 12 and 13, 1983, lot 115
Constance Kamens, New York


 

Brooklyn, Ancient Art of Latin America from the Collection of Jay C. Leff, The Brooklyn Museum, November 22, 1966 -March 5, 1967, cat. no. 369, catalogue by Elizabeth Kennedy Easby
Charlottesville, Selections of Prehispanic Art of Mexico and Guatemala: Loans from Distinguished Private Collections, Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, September 17, 1982-November 14, 1982

Heavily repaired as visible in photo; all clean breaks and repairs as shown by the cracks.
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.

The mountainous Tuxtlas region was the center for a distinctive pottery style of delicate white ground ceramics, typically painted with graphic depictions of costumed figures and mythical figures such as this bat-headed figure with a monkey tail.
Cf. von Winning (1968: fig. 281).