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Shamanic mortar with feline head and monkey tail.
See original version (French)
83
-
Shamanic mortar with feline head and monkey tail.
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Shamanic mortar
with feline head and monkey tail.
Carved and polished stone, marks of use and traces of oxidation over time. Tail broken and glued.
Valdivia / Chorrera, Ecuador, 1500-500 BC
11 x 5 x 16 cm
Provenance :
Sale by Maître Conan, Lyon Rive Gauche, 20 May 2010, catalogue lot 75.
This shamanic mortar is part of the ritual traditions of the Valdivia and Chorrera cultures, where objects for ceremonial use combine practical function and symbolic charge. The hybrid creature - a cubic body resting on four short feet, a feline's head with a square muzzle and wide-open mouth revealing its fangs, and a monkey's tail coiled in a spiral - reflects a symbolic approach in which the fusion of feline and primate expresses the power of natural and supernatural forces. What is most striking is the quality of the formal treatment: the powerful, synthetic volumes, the rigour of the panels incised on the muzzle and the balance between mass and detail make this a piece of remarkable plastic strength, where ritual efficiency and sculptural mastery are in complete harmony.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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