**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast of Mexico, Veracruz (Vera Cruz) culture, ca. 3rd to 7th century CE. A set of two fine pottery musical instruments, one a whistle and the other an ocarina. First is a hand-built buffware whistle depicting a disembodied human head with a chin strap, circular earrings, a cylindrical nose ornament, and black chapapote pigment adorning the frilled headdress. Second is a mold-formed pottery ocarina in the form of an abstract feline with a broad, fanged smile, huge ears, and a petite mouthpiece atop the head. White pigment adorns this ocarina and creates a smooth surface. Size of largest: 3.7" W x 4.25" H (9.4 cm x 10.8 cm)

Provenance: ex-Stein collection, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, acquired prior to 2010

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#163930

Restoration to proper left ear and tail of zoomorphic ocarina, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Head has losses to some ornamentation atop headdress. Both pieces have minor abrasions and light encrustations. Nice preservation to detailing throughout. Both instruments produce nice sound when played.