**Originally Listed At $200**

Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast Mexico, Veracruz, ca. 600 to 900 CE. A wonderful figural musical instrument, with a near-spherical body, a tubular blow hole emerging from the top and joined to an elaborately decorated head/bust with lobster claws in low relief reaching over the walls below that doubles as a whistle and a rattle. The bitumen-coated face wears a large, elaborate headdress and ear ornaments that extend to the shoulders. The whistle still works, and the rattles inside produce a wonderful percussive sound as well! Veracruz pottery from this period is famous for its use of bitumen, which is a form of petroleum found throughout Mesoamerica's southern Gulf Coast, and this piece shows ample bitumen on its surface. Size: 2.875" L x 2.5" W x 3.25" H (7.3 cm x 6.4 cm x 8.3 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaiian collection

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#124095

Small old chip behind one lobster claw, nick to headdress, and bridge. Whistles and rattles well. Ample bitumen. Inventory label on bottom.