**Originally Listed At $400**

Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Mixtec people, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A miniature openwork tripod vessel, composed of tightly wound bronze wires formed into spirals and other motifs, standing on three rounded bell feet that rattle when the vessel is shaken. One side of the vessel has an abstract deer-like face made of the coiled and bent bronze wires. Two tiny loops that project from the unpronounced rim form handles. The deer form relates to the relationship between hunter and hunted, with many Mesoamerican myths treating the deer as a grandfather figure who allowed the birth of subsequent humans - they were honored prey, whose presence was necessary to sustain life. The growth and shedding of their antlers was also seen as paralleling the agricultural cycle, connecting them to the most important passage of time in ancient life. Size: 2.25" W x 1.6" H (5.7 cm x 4.1 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Knox collection, Arizona, USA

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#131938

Slight bending to form. Dark green patina with light encrustation in the lower profile areas of the surface. Bells are still functional.