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MILLON
104
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Xipe Tótec seated Terracotta with traces of polychromy.
See original version (French)
104
-
Xipe Tótec seated Terracotta with traces of polychromy.
See original version (French)
Estimate €500 - €700
Voluntary lot
Description
Xipe Tótec seated
Terracotta with traces of polychromy.
Broken and glued, chips on the nose, restoration not exceeding 20% of the overall surface of the work, partly located on the back.
Mixtec-Aztec, Mexico.
H: 19.5 cm; W: 17.5 cm
Provenance: Sale Paris, Drouot, study Ader-Picard-Tajan, 23-24-25/06/1975, n°76.
This representation refers to Xipe Tótec, an important deity of post-classical Mexico associated with the regeneration of the vegetal cycle, the renewal of the earth and ritual sacrifice. His name can be translated as "Our Lord the Skinned", in reference to the ceremonies during which priests would don the skin of sacrificial victims to symbolically embody the rebirth of nature after the dry season. The volumes visible around the arms and hands evoke precisely this ritual skin worn as a sacred attribute.
The cult of Xipe Tótec played a major role in Mixtec and Aztec traditions, particularly during the Tlacaxipehualiztli festivals celebrated in spring. These ceremonies combined sacrificial combat, offerings and fertility rites designed to ensure agricultural prosperity and the renewal of vital forces. The large ear ornaments, the stooped posture and the intense facial expression are in keeping with the stylistic conventions of the Mixteca-Puebla movement of the late post-classical period. The whole piece retains a strong plastic presence, accentuated by the compact frontality of the figure and the expressive tension of the modelling.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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