PRECOLUMBIAN ART : INCLUDING A SELECTION OF ... - Lempertz

196
COSTA RICAN STONE EFFIGY METATE
GUANACASTE-NICOYA
Ca. A. D. 300-700
Finely carved with prominent head of a raptorial bird with open,
recurved beak, eyes treated as concentric circles, the openwork neck
with bold guilloche and lozenge patterns the rectangular, slightly
concave platform one end carved with a border of guilloche motifs,
the three openwork legs highlighted by further decorative patterning;
in grey volcanic stone,
Length 86 cm
Provenance
Acquired in the early 1980s in the US
Cf. Between Continents/Between Seas, fi g. 75
Metates, tablelike objects of stone used in ancient Mesoamerica for
the grinding of foodstuff s such as corn, underwent particular elaboration
in Central America, where they took on special meanings as
well as unusual sculptural forms. Certain ancient rituals must have
incorporated this activity and required special metates to be created
for this purpose. The decorative quality of some Central American
metates suggests a ceremonial function. Most are carved in volcanic
stone, and bear fretted edges, tripod legs covered with geometric
relief and cut-outs, and, at one end, an abstract animal-head motif,
frequently a bird’s head. The ornament may be related to the owner
of the object or to the ritual in which the metate was used. Its function
as a surface for grinding maize, a staple food of the region from
which they come, links these sculptures with the notion of fertility, a
primary concern for an agricultural people.
€ 12 000 – 18 000