Origine Expert

Shamanic mortar depicting a hybrid creature with a cubic body resting on four short legs. At the front appears a feline head with a square muzzle, rendered through incised panels; the mouth is widely open, revealing prominent fangs. At the rear, a strongly projecting monkey tail curls into a spiral. The overall composition favors a synthetic and graphic treatment, emphasizing powerful and stylized volumes.

Carved and polished stone, with marks of use and oxidation from age. Tail broken and reattached.
Valdivia / Chorrera, Ecuador, 1500–500 BC.
11 × 5 × 16 cm

Provenance:
Maître Conan sale, Lyon Rive Gauche, May 20, 2010, lot 75.

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Anthropomorphic pendant depicting the head of a Maya lord shown in profile. The finely carved face displays a hieratic expression, marked by a strong tension in the features and a deliberate stylization of the visage. The figure wears an elaborate headdress composed of two superimposed animal figures: on the lower section, a raptor with an aquiline beak, and on the upper section, a stylized turtle head. The ear is adorned with a large circular ornament, pierced with small holes along the lower edge, indicating the former attachment of suspended elements now lost.

Green jadeite, carved, polished, and pierced; marks of age.
Maya, Mexico or Guatemala, Late Classic period, circa AD 600–900.
10 × 7 cm

Provenance:
Former Guillot-Muñoz collection; by descent.
Castor & Hara sale, Paris–Drouot, June 3, 2013, lot 46.

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