A Coclé Pedestal Plate with Twin Transformed Figures...

Description

A Coclé Pedestal Plate with Twin Transformed Figures
Panama, c. 800-1200 AD

Polychrome painted ceramic. This pedestal plate is divided into three sections, two enclosing transformed ritual figures shown in prone position, while the central band is tightly filled with zigzags in alternating purple, beige, and orange. The paired figures are rendered with fangs, large eyes, long claw-like hands and feet, and long bicolored tails, likely referring to alligators or caimans. The pedestal and rim are decorated with broad bands of purple, red, and beige. The composition is tightly organized yet full of movement, balancing symmetry with imaginative figural invention. A vivid and finely painted example, closely related to the Maracaras style and the ritual imagery associated with Gran Coclé. In apparently very good, intact condition; aside from a narrow stripe of black pigment that has been retouched.

Provenance:
The Vilcek Foundation
Emile Deletaille, Brussels, Belgium, 1980

Diameter: 8 ½ inches

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