Finely carved Manteño stone mortar in an elegant dish form, expertly fashioned from richly green colored serpentine stone. The exterior is deeply and beautifully incised with repeating artistic parrot motifs that encircle the vessel, displaying the exceptional stoneworking skill and symbolic artistry associated with the Manteño culture of coastal Ecuador. The interior bowl is smoothly finished and displays extensive age-related sediment deposits and mineral encrustation throughout, enhancing the piece’s authenticity and visual character. The detailed carving remains remarkably crisp and well preserved. Presented in flawless, Choice condition with excellent preservation throughout. Measures 3 1/2 inches long. Ecuador, ca. 800-1500 AD

Provenance: Ex Guillermo Landázuri Collection, New York. Acquired 1970s-80s.

Price: P.O.R. – Reserved – Domestic Delivery Included

A refined and historically significant Pre-Columbian silver tupu from the Tiwanaku / Wari culture, dating approximately to 400 to 1100 AD. This elegant Andean shawl pin exemplifies the restrained sophistication and symbolic design language associated with highland Peru and Bolivia during the Middle Horizon period.

The piece features a long, tapering pin shaft culminating in a flat, circular finial. At the top of the disc are two outward-facing zoomorphic figures, rendered in symmetrical profile. These creatures, possibly stylized felines or abstract ungulates, display incised linear detailing along their bodies, evoking scale-like or textile-inspired patterning. The composition is balanced and deliberate, reflecting both artistic control and cultural meaning tied to status, identity, and adornment.

Unlike gold examples reserved for elite use, silver tupu pins such as this were also valued within Andean society and worn as functional yet symbolic garments fasteners. The form remains one of the most recognizable and enduring types within Pre-Columbian metalwork traditions, bridging utility and visual expression.

The surface presents a stable, aged patina consistent with antiquity, enhancing the sculptural qualities of the finial while preserving fine details. The pin remains structurally intact, with a smooth shaft and well-defined terminal figures. A small perforation above the stem is present, likely intended for suspension or additional ornamentation, a feature seen in comparable examples.

This piece stands as a strong example of Pre-Columbian silver adornment, offering collectors an accessible yet authentic representation of ancient Andean craftsmanship. Its clean form and iconic silhouette make it particularly suitable for display within both private collections and curated gallery settings.

Dimensions: 5.25″/13.33 cm

Condition: Excellent overall condition for its age, with minor surface wear and natural patination consistent with archaeological metal artifacts.

Provenance: Ex-private Florida collection, acquired prior to 1960s

Price: $1,850. – Domestic Delivery Included

This large and finely carved Mezcala stone sculpture, measuring over 9 inches in height, represents a ceremonial architectural form executed in dense gray, slate-like stone. The composition depicts a stepped structure with a pronounced central staircase rising to a four-columned temple façade. Within the columned space stands a stylized anthropomorphic figure, while a second figure is positioned at the apex of the structure, reinforcing the vertical hierarchy that defines elite Mezcala architectural imagery.

The surface retains attractive mineral encrustations consistent with long burial. Clear, ancient breaks are visible at the upper and lower sections of each pillar and at the internal standing figure. These elements were professionally reassembled and stabilized, with join lines intentionally left visible in keeping with conservation standards and to avoid speculative restoration. This transparent approach is favored by advanced collectors and institutional audiences and allows the object’s full archaeological history to remain legible.

Architectural sculptures of this scale and complexity rank among the most desirable categories of Mezcala stone carving, combining abstraction with structural clarity and symbolic presence. The survival of multiple figural components, together with the sculpture’s substantial size, places this example well above the more commonly encountered fragmentary or diminutive forms. Mexico. ca. 400 BC.

Size: 9.75” H x 5” W (24.76 cm x 12.7 cm); Approx. 12″ H (30.48 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: Private Florida collection. Formerly in the collection of Barry Kernerman, Toronto, and previously in the Samuel Dubiner collection, Tel Aviv, Israel, acquired in the 1960s.

This evocative terracotta head fragment, dating to the Late Classic period (circa 600–900 CE), presents a dramatic rendering of a Maya supernatural being—possibly a solar deity or elite ancestral figure associated with dynastic power. While it bears visual echoes of K’inich Ajaw, the Maya Sun God also known as God G, it diverges from canonical traits such as squared solar eyes and T-shaped incisors. Instead, this expressive sculpture reflects a localized or regionally stylized solar or divine authority interpretation.

Standing approximately 6 inches in height, the face is highly emotive, with bulging almond-shaped eyes, a deeply grooved brow, and a strongly downturned mouth pierced with two round perforations—perhaps for ritual smoke emission or symbolic breath. A single large circular earspool remains on the figure’s right ear, indicating elite or divine status. The ridged, semicircular headdress evokes radiant energy. It may suggest solar affiliation, even if not directly referencing the traditional headdress of God G. A central vertical ridge on the forehead could signify a stylized version of the “k’in” glyph—Maya for “sun”—a mark often associated with rulers and divine beings.

This head likely belonged to a ritual urn, effigy censer, or tomb guardian figure and would have stood in a prominent ceremonial context. Its forceful expression, partial red pigment remains, and sculptural presence suggest it was created not merely for ornamentation but as a conduit for ancestral or divine power. Whether linked to the solar cycle, dynastic legitimacy, or protective intercession, this figure resonates with the Maya worldview in which deities, ancestors, and kings were intertwined.

Provenance:
From the collection of P. Kahn by descendent from his mother. Miami, FL; R. Castagna, Elliot, MD.