**Originally Listed At $700**

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Pacific Slope, Diquis/Nicoya region, ca. 900 to 1530 CE. A jaguar effigy metate depicting the wild feline's head and a rectangular table with rounded edges on four legs, expertly carved from one piece of volcanic stone with refined dimensions and intricately incised details. The sculptor of this piece successfully created an expressive countenance; just look at those gnashing teeth/fangs and snarling snout as he stands proudly on all four paws. Note the wonderful stylized zigzag and diamond motifs adorning the top of its head and continuing over the walls of the table and limbs. A very special example. Size: 8.75" L x 5.375" W x 4.375" H (22.2 cm x 13.7 cm x 11.1 cm)

Metates were initially created to grind foods such as corn, certainly a utilitarian purpose, as well as hallucinogenic substances, medicines, etc. for ceremonial rituals; however, they evolved into meaningful ritual objects in and of themselves, replete with strong iconography and intriguing sculptural forms have transformed these objects into much more than pragmatic tools. Examples of a larger scale but with a similar degree of decorative carving and iconographic symbolism were sometimes used to seat a departed lord on his journey to the afterlife. Jaguar imagery symbolized power and might throughout the Pre-Columbian world; hence, warriors, rulers, hunters, and shamans alike associated themselves with this king of beasts, the largest and most powerful feline in the New World.

Provenance: collection of the late Alfred E. Stendahl, Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA

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#126370

Normal surface wear commensurate with age. Losses to tail and rim of table as shown. Two left legs repaired. Old inventory number on underside of base.