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Maya Openwork Pectoral of Two Facing Dignitaries

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:750.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
Maya Openwork Pectoral of Two Facing Dignitaries
<B>Openwork Pectoral of Two Facing Dignitaries</B></I><BR>Maya<BR>A.D. 550 - 800<BR>Shell<BR>Height 2 7/8 in. Width 3 15/16 in.<BR><BR>The frequency with which Maya pectorals in pale-colored shell have openwork areas suggests that they may have been conceived for use against a material of stronger color. Only then would the silhouetting of image have achieved full impact. For this case, all of the solid elements of the pectoral combine to suggest a large-eyed, agnathic frontal face. This is enhanced by the finely incised double lines at the arched lower edge which define three lobed forms, the middle one having a slight downward dip at its center which reinforces the suggestion of a nose seen frontally.<BR>The solid forms show two male profiles facing inward toward one another, with a column separating them. Fine encircling incised outlines indicate that the heads appear behind a front plane, as though seen inside the eyes of the mask.<BR>There are various chips along the edges, the center bar was broken at top and bottom and has been reglued, and there are old breaks at the right and left ends, with resulting missing parts. There are dirt encrustations and stains on the back.<BR><BR> Provenance<BR>Bonhams & Butterfields, San Francisco: sale 7546E, 14 June 2004, lot 1033, p. 11 (Property from the Tara Colburn Estate, Los Angeles)<BR><BR>