- 44
STATUE ANTHROPOMORPHE ASSISECULTURE VERACRUZ, CÔTE DU GOLFECLASSIQUE, 450-650 AP. J.-C. |
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 EUR
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Description
- haut. 31 cm ; 12 1/4 in
Provenance
Collection A. Florida, États-Unis, acquis à la fin des années 1960
Christie's, Paris, 8 décembre 2004, n° 395
Importante Collection privée française
Christie's, Paris, 8 décembre 2004, n° 395
Importante Collection privée française
Condition
Very good condition overall. Nice encrustation overall , some repair to proper left thumb. Good details overall.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Les sonrientes - dits « visages souriants » - de la région de Remojadas (Veracruz), se singularisent dans l'art mésoaméricain par leur franche traduction des émotions humaines. Elles nous apparaissent donc tout à la fois familières et mystérieuses, incitant de nombreux érudits à proposer diverses assertions et hypothèses quant à leur fonction d'origine. Certains associent ces sculptures joviales à Xochipilli, le dieu de la danse, de la musique et de la joie, tandis que d'autres suggèrent qu'elles étaient liées au culte du pulque, boisson hallucinogène à base de malguey (agave). Elles ont également été interprétées comme des victimes sacrificielles : de leur bonne humeur dépendait le succès du rituel (Doris Heyden, « A New Interpretation of the Smiling Figures », in Olga Hammer, Ancient Art of Veracruz, 1971, p. 37). Selon les actuels locuteurs mixe-zoque du Sud de Veracruz, les statues sonrientes seraient apparentées aux chanèques, petites créatures légendaires peuplant la mythologie mexicaine et servantes de Chane, le seigneur des enfers (Wyllie, “The mural paintings of El Zapotal, Veracruz, Mexico” in Ancient Mesoamerica, vol 21, 2010, p. 214). Si la fonction et la signification de ces statues font toujours l’objet de débats, la beauté universelle et l'émotion manifeste des sonrientes sont incontestées.
Cette œuvre est l’une des rares représentations assises d'un « visage souriant ». Elle est parée de bijoux en perles, d’ornements d’oreilles circulaires et d’une coiffe rectangulaire ornée de motifs géométriques gravés et incisés. La base forme une lèvre et il est vraisemblable que cette statue ait été le couvercle d’un réceptacle ou d’un encensoir. Pour une autre statue assise, jambes écartées, voir Hammer, idem, n° 67.
Sonrientes, or the so-called “smiling figures” from the Remojadas region of Veracruz are anomalous in Mesoamerican art for their forthright depiction of human emotion. The ceramic figures are thus simultaneously familiar and mysterious, leading many scholars to put forth interpretations of their original function. Some believe these jovial sculptures were associated with Xochipilli, the god of dance, music and joy, while others suggest they are related to the cult of pulque, a hallucinogenic beverage made from the maguey plant. It is also suggested that they may represent sacrificial victims, whose good humor was essential to the success of the sacrifice (Heyden, “A New Interpretation of the Smiling Figures,” in Hammer, Ancient Art of Veracruz, 1971, p. 37).
According to contemporary Mixe-Zoque speakers of southern Veracruz, sonriente figures, appear related to chenneques, the 'short ones' or dwarf-like attendants who serve Chane, Lord of the Underworld (Wyllie, “The mural paintings of El Zapotal, Veracruz, Mexico” in Ancient Mesoamerica, vol. 21, 2010, p. 214). While function and meaning continue to be debated, the universal charm and appeal of the sonrientes is undisputed.
The present example is a rare representation of a seated “smiling figure,” with a grin revealing upper teeth, close-set eyes, wearing beaded jewelry, earspools and a rectangular headdress with etched and incised geometric patterns. The base forms a lip and the entire figure may have been a lid to a vessel or incensario. For a related seated example with splayed legs, see Hammer, ibid. no. 67.
Cette œuvre est l’une des rares représentations assises d'un « visage souriant ». Elle est parée de bijoux en perles, d’ornements d’oreilles circulaires et d’une coiffe rectangulaire ornée de motifs géométriques gravés et incisés. La base forme une lèvre et il est vraisemblable que cette statue ait été le couvercle d’un réceptacle ou d’un encensoir. Pour une autre statue assise, jambes écartées, voir Hammer, idem, n° 67.
Sonrientes, or the so-called “smiling figures” from the Remojadas region of Veracruz are anomalous in Mesoamerican art for their forthright depiction of human emotion. The ceramic figures are thus simultaneously familiar and mysterious, leading many scholars to put forth interpretations of their original function. Some believe these jovial sculptures were associated with Xochipilli, the god of dance, music and joy, while others suggest they are related to the cult of pulque, a hallucinogenic beverage made from the maguey plant. It is also suggested that they may represent sacrificial victims, whose good humor was essential to the success of the sacrifice (Heyden, “A New Interpretation of the Smiling Figures,” in Hammer, Ancient Art of Veracruz, 1971, p. 37).
According to contemporary Mixe-Zoque speakers of southern Veracruz, sonriente figures, appear related to chenneques, the 'short ones' or dwarf-like attendants who serve Chane, Lord of the Underworld (Wyllie, “The mural paintings of El Zapotal, Veracruz, Mexico” in Ancient Mesoamerica, vol. 21, 2010, p. 214). While function and meaning continue to be debated, the universal charm and appeal of the sonrientes is undisputed.
The present example is a rare representation of a seated “smiling figure,” with a grin revealing upper teeth, close-set eyes, wearing beaded jewelry, earspools and a rectangular headdress with etched and incised geometric patterns. The base forms a lip and the entire figure may have been a lid to a vessel or incensario. For a related seated example with splayed legs, see Hammer, ibid. no. 67.