Lot 8
  • 8

Two Costa Rican Stone Mace heads, Late Preriod IV, ca. A.D. 1-500

Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

comprising a white stone stylized head of an owl with pointed beak and short tufts above, and a human head with small puckered mouth and slender nose, the ears out to the side and with large sunken eyes; in speckled stone, each pierced through the center. 

Provenance

Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, January 28, 1966, lot 41

Exhibited

New York, PreColumbian Art in New York, Selections from Private Collections, The Museum of Primitive Art, September 12-November 9, 1969 , no. 201, for the human head.

Condition

Fine, both intact. The white owl could be cleaned to show whiteness.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Owl effigy mace heads are usually from the Atlantic Watershed region, and the styles conform to three types of indigenous species, the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), the short eared owl ( Asi flammeus)  and the barred or barn owl ( Strix varia, and Tyto alba) (De La Cruz in Lange, 1988, pg. 122).

See Lange, ed. (1988: fig. 6.2), for similar examples of the owl and human head types.