Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Central Highlands, Atlantic Watershed, ca. 1000 to 1400 CE. A massive and meticulously carved trophy head from a dense volcanic rock, depicted as a male visage in a tight fitted cap. The skull fitting cap is formed via interlocking raised ridges, possibly to resemble traditional weaving or embroidery. This is a complete piece and not broken from a larger statue, but rather carved as a head and neck in and of itself to represent a disembodied trophy head! The practice of taking human heads as warfare trophies or during ritualistic sacrifice to bring about agricultural prosperity was ubiquitous throughout Pre-Columbian cultures and this piece exemplifies the practice of headhunting in a less gruesome and highly artistic manner! Size: 7.5" Diameter x 9" H (19 cm x 22.9 cm)

Artists in ancient Costa Rica and nearby Panama sculpted and painted disembodied human trophy heads. Ethnographic accounts from the region describe a practice of taking trophy heads during warfare. Although the ancients' use of war as a tool for acquiring resources and consolidating control under specific leaders is similar to ours today, pre-Columbian warfare also had a supernatural element to it. The taking of the head was related to shamanism, and the purpose was to protect the community from any evil, including disease and sorcery. If a shaman's head was taken, then due to the shaman's supernatural skills, his head was still believed to possess power, even when separated from the rest of the body.

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Provenance: private Lexington, Kentucky, USA collection; ex-Andrew Jones Auction; ex-Raymond Enkeboll estate, Los Angeles, California, USA

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#176969

Some chips and abrasions to high pointed areas and ears, otherwise intact and excellent. Light mineral deposits on surface.