Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Huetar, ca. 300 to 800 CE. A hand-sculpted figure made from a porous volcanic stone depicting a human with a phallus in the act of coitus with a feline. The human figure holds the animal at arm's length; the animal's legs rest on the human's hips. The faces of both human and feline are carved to have clear, semi-realistic features, and presented tilted upward, looking not at each other but towards the sky. Size: 2.55" L x 5" W x 6.2" H (6.5 cm x 12.7 cm x 15.7 cm)

This figure probably depicts a shaman deriving power from connection to the animal world. Pre-Columbian Costa Ricans created carved volcanic stone sculptures whose subjects are often animals, usually those who are aggressive or dangerous, such as crocodiles, or jaguars like this one. By explicitly joining with the animal, this carving demonstrates the power of the shaman to communicate beyond the world of the human.

Provenance: Whisnant Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA acquired over twenty years ago; ex-private Tucson, Arizona, USA collection; ex-Arte Primitivo; ex-private Stanley F. Yolles, M.D. collection, Stony Brook, New York, USA; ex-Harmer Rooke Galleries, New York City, New York, USA, acquired in the 1970s

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#123045

Figure is intact, with some expected age wear.