Laughing figure "sonriente", ca. 600 - 800 AD · Mexico, Gulf Coast, Veracruz · ID: 3052501
Starting price
EUR 800
Estimated price
EUR 1,500
Provenance
Sotheby’s, New York, 11 May 1991, lot 396Size
H: 19 cm
H: 7.5 inch
Description
fired clay, remnants of white and blue pigment, serving as a figural pipe and rattle, rest., base
The peculiar smile of many Veracruz figures may possibly be attributed to the intake of a specific drug said to induce intense feelings of euphoria, reportedly administered to individuals who knew they were destined to die as sacrificial victims.
Comparing literature
Hoffmann, Ulrich (Hg.), Frauen des alten Amerika in Kult und Alltag, Stuttgart 2001, p. 212 ff.
Notices
This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Export documents are required for export (subjected to a fee).