Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Teotihuacan, ca. 500 to 700 CE. A lovely incensario lid used to funnel the smoke from burning copal incense upwards and out of the top. The lid presents a stylized anthropomorphic figure seated upon a gently curved tier in front of 2 rows of triangular appliques, perhaps representative of a mountain range. The figure dons a lengthy skirt, ankle bangles, and a broad, rectangular pectoral ornament with incised bullseye motifs and a curved flange arcing off one side. His face bears slit-form eyes, a heart-shaped nose ornament, a sharply crested nose, and a pair of flared earspools, and atop his head rests an enormous headdress adorned with 3 incised circular ornaments and a rectangular panel beneath a tapered finial opening. Faint remains of red pigment across the head, headdress, and tall backing panel indicate just how colorfully embellished this incensario lid was when first formed. Size: 9.4" W x 14.125" H (23.9 cm x 35.9 cm)

Incensario lids like this example are among the most emblematic articles of visual culture of Teotihuacan, which then inspired contemporaries and the civilizations that came after them. These were first created in the Tzacualo period (ca. 1 to 100 CE), and during the following years, artisans created more and more intricate compositions. Numerous scholars have suggested that censers like this example were instrumental to a cult dedicated to warriors killed in combat. Incense played a major role in religious practice in Mesoamerica, from the Olmec onward. Many tombs are outfitted with incensarios, and the items also seem to have been used in ceremonies by the living. The incense was made from copal, tree resin from the torchwood tree. By burning copal, Mesoamerican priests made an offering to the gods - for example, during an Aztec ceremony for the god Huitzilopochtli, the hummingbird-formed god of war, priests hoped that their prayers would be carried upward along with the wafting smoke and scent.

Cf. The Brooklyn Museum, accession number 75.148; and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, object number 97.113.A,.B

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report is available for purchase. Please inquire.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world's largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection; ex-private Houston, Texas, USA, collection, acquired before 2000

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#167339

Repaired from multiple pieces, with restoration to left side of rectangular headdress panel, most of backing panel, and several areas and details along proper right side of artifact; resurfacing with overpainting along new material and break lines. Losses to areas of backing panel behind head, rectangular panel across chest of figure, and several areas of base rim along verso as shown. Fading to original pigment, softening to finer details, light encrustations, with nicks, chips, and abrasions across several areas, and visible adhesive residue along some repaired areas. Nice preservation to figural form and very light remains of original pigment. TL drill holes beneath base and behind middle of headdress.