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81
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Smiling head with ecstatic expression
Terracotta, mark of ti…
See original version (French)
81
-
Smiling head with ecstatic expression
Terracotta, mark of ti…
See original version (French)
Estimate €800 - €1,400
Voluntary lot
Description
Smiling head
with ecstatic expression
Terracotta, mark of time
Veracruz, Mexico, between 400 and 700 AD
16 x 17 x 8.5 cm
Provenance :
Galerie Alt-Amerika, Ulrich Hofmann, Stuttgart ;
Castor-Hara sale, Paris Drouot, 26 March 2012, catalogue no. 23.
Thermoluminescence test by the Ralf Kotalla laboratory, 8 June 1994
The smiling heads are one of the most distinctive products of the Veracruz culture, immediately recognisable by their expression of joy or ecstasy, which is unique in pre-Columbian art. This one stands out for the quality and precision of its modelling: the deeply worked almond-shaped eyes, the marked eyelids, the symbolic decoration in relief on the forehead and the incised glyph make up a face of great formal richness. The pierced ears, designed to hold ornaments, and the half-open mouth with its slight smile give this head a lively, luminous presence, testimony to an art in which human expression is brought to its highest degree of intensity.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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