A Zapotec Urn...

Description

A Zapotec Urn
Oaxaca, Mexico, c. 500-900 AD

Seated with the legs crossed, this figure is shown in an unusual act of presentation of a water jar. The hands hold forward a olla type vessel, its front marked by an animal head in high relief. The figure wears large earflares, a substantial beaded necklace, and an elaborate headdress of exceptional scale, composed of arching bands terminating in tassels and centered at the forehead by a partial glyphic emblem. The nose is ornamented with a large segmented ring. At the reverse, an open vertical column suggests that the figure may have functioned as an incensario and was part of a larger ritual ceramic assemblage. The conception is ambitious and iconographically rich, combining deity, offering, and ceremonial display in a single image.

The surviving head and principal ornaments retain much of the authority of the original modeling, and these areas appear to be ancient. At the same time, the object has undergone extensive restoration. Under ultraviolet light, the arms are seen to have been reattached at the shoulders, elbows, and hands, and the lower section has been reconstructed from a limited number of original fragments with substantial restoration throughout. The figure should therefore be understood as a partially reconstructed work whose significance lies above all in the quality and interest of the surviving original portions. The restoration is not incidental and should be taken fully into account by any prospective buyer.

Height: 13 ½ inches

Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800.

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