Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Guanacaste/Nicoya region, ca. 200 to 600 CE. A large ceramic vessel standing on three fierce zoomorphic feet, each glaring out at the viewer with large eyes and long snouts. The vessel itself is round and gently corseted, with a wide mouth and unpronounced rim. On either side of the vessel is a high relief, glaring human face with a pronounced nose, a jutting lower lip, and large, almond-shaped eyes underneath heavy eyebrows. The sides are painted with thick-yellow-lined geometric motifs that resemble tortoise shell. Fascinatingly, the style of this vessel seems to have been influenced by contact with the Maya. Size: 9" W x 9.2" H (22.9 cm x 23.4 cm)

Provenance: private Marysville, California, USA collection, purchased from Artemis Gallery auction, April 25, 2019, lot 82A; ex-private Southern California, USA collection, acquired 1970-1985

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#171113

Repaired from multiple pieces, with some overpainting along the repair lines and on the geometric motifs on the exterior. Beautiful root marks and deposits, especially on the interior. Light encrustations on the feet.