Colima Spondylus Serpent Pendants, Double-Headed (pr)
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, 250 CE. A matched pair of large pendants carved from thick spondylus shell, each arcing into a stylized serpent with a head at either terminus. The sculptor exploited the shell's warm orange lip against its pale interior, then cut a raised, sawtoothed dorsal ridge along the spine and pierced it with a rhythmic row of drill holes. Suspension perforations run through the serpent heads and, on one example, along the back, indicating the pendants were sewn or strung as chest ornaments. Two eyes retain their original inset shell disks. Double-headed serpents are a persistent Mesoamerican motif of duality and regeneration, and imported spondylus was a prestige material reserved for ornaments of rank. Each is mounted on a custom base. Size: 6.25" L (15.9 cm L); 5.5" L (14.0 cm L).
Spondylus, the thorny oyster, was harvested by divers in the warm Pacific waters off western Mexico and Ecuador and moved through long-distance exchange networks that reached deep into Mesoamerica. Its red-orange margin was valued as a color of blood and fertility, and the labor of retrieval, from depths that endangered the diver, added to its worth. Colima artisans, better known for their burnished redware dogs and shaft-tomb ceramics, also produced a refined lapidary and shellworking tradition; ornaments of this kind emerge from shaft-tomb contexts, where they accompanied individuals of standing. The bicephalic serpent, a body with no single head and no true tail, recurs across Mesoamerican art as an emblem of paired opposites and of cyclical renewal, later crystallizing in Aztec sky-band and Vision Serpent imagery.
Provenance: Collection of a Chicago physician. Acquired from The Lands Beyond, NYC. 1990’s.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73034
Condition
Both have an excellent ancient surface patina. One example is intact, the other has one reattached head and loss to one back ridge tip.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, 250 CE. A matched pair of large pendants carved from thick spondylus shell, each arcing into a stylized serpent with a head at either terminus. The sculptor exploited the shell's warm orange lip against its pale interior, then cut a raised, sawtoothed dorsal ridge along the spine and pierced it with a rhythmic row of drill holes. Suspension perforations run through the serpent heads and, on one example, along the back, indicating the pendants were sewn or strung as chest ornaments. Two eyes retain their original inset shell disks. Double-headed serpents are a persistent Mesoamerican motif of duality and regeneration, and imported spondylus was a prestige material reserved for ornaments of rank. Each is mounted on a custom base. Size: 6.25" L (15.9 cm L); 5.5" L (14.0 cm L).
Spondylus, the thorny oyster, was harvested by divers in the warm Pacific waters off western Mexico and Ecuador and moved through long-distance exchange networks that reached deep into Mesoamerica. Its red-orange margin was valued as a color of blood and fertility, and the labor of retrieval, from depths that endangered the diver, added to its worth. Colima artisans, better known for their burnished redware dogs and shaft-tomb ceramics, also produced a refined lapidary and shellworking tradition; ornaments of this kind emerge from shaft-tomb contexts, where they accompanied individuals of standing. The bicephalic serpent, a body with no single head and no true tail, recurs across Mesoamerican art as an emblem of paired opposites and of cyclical renewal, later crystallizing in Aztec sky-band and Vision Serpent imagery.
Provenance: Collection of a Chicago physician. Acquired from The Lands Beyond, NYC. 1990’s.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73034
Condition
Both have an excellent ancient surface patina. One example is intact, the other has one reattached head and loss to one back ridge tip.
Buyer's Premium
30%
