Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, ca. 1 to 800 CE. An incredible mottled greenstone mace in the form of a disembodied head with skull-like qualities. The face projects forward, with wide, deep, perfectly round and empty eye sockets (although these may have once had some kind of inlay to make them more lifelike). The nose is emphasized, with deeply incised lines and drilled nostrils giving it a more realistic appearance. The mouth is exceptionally wide, in a thin-lipped grin, with rounded sockets that mirror the form of the eyes at each corner. A rounded projection emerges from each side of the head, meant to represent ears but also serving as an area for attachment of decorative items. The rest of the mace head is undecorated, with a large, cylindrical socket set slightly back from the face. Size: 3.9" L x 3.5" W x 2.1" H (9.9 cm x 8.9 cm x 5.3 cm); 7" H (17.8 cm) on included custom stand.

Artists in ancient Costa Rica and nearby Panama commonly sculpted and painted disembodied human heads which are probably meant to represent trophy heads - ethnographic accounts from the region tell of a tradition both before and after the Spanish Conquest of taking trophy heads as a result of warfare. Although their use of war as a tool for acquiring resources and consolidating control under specific leaders is the same as ours today, theirs also had a supernatural element to it - the taking of the head was seen as an organized form of violence related to shamanism, whose role was to protect the community from any evil, including disease and sorcery. If a shaman's head was taken, then due to his or her supernatural skills, it could still have power, even separated from the rest of the body. Looking at the fierce face on this mace head, the artist's belief in this power is clear.

Provenance: private Lexington, Kentucky, USA collection; ex Alan Steele collection, New York, New York USA

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#131770

Excellent condition, with reddish-brown encrustations over much of the surface, especially in the lower profile areas.