Lot 40

Nicoya Ceramic Zoomorphic Rattle Figure

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Lot 40
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Nicoya Ceramic Zoomorphic Rattle Figure
Nicoya Ceramic Zoomorphic Rattle Figure
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Nicoya Ceramic Zoomorphic Rattle Figure

Estimate: $700 - $1,000

Starting Bid: $250

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 7, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Nicoya Peninsula, Guanacaste-Nicoya Zone, ca. 300 to 700 CE. A hand-built ceramic rattle in the form of a stocky quadruped, its barrel body covered in fine horizontal incised lines that wrap the torso and limbs with a restless, almost textile energy. The creature's broadly rounded head features pierced circular eyes, small applied ears, and a projecting snout that gives it an expression somewhere between imperious and bemused; paired apertures pierce the flanks and dorsal surface, now silent where they once sounded, the loose pellets within long stilled by time. Zoomorphic rattles of this type from the Guanacaste-Nicoya zone were likely employed in ritual and ceremonial contexts, the sound they produced understood as a voice capable of mediating between the human and supernatural worlds, making this sturdy, incised figure as much an instrument of cosmological communication as an object of considerable sculptural charm. Size: 7.6" W x 4.3" H x 3.9" D (19.3 cm W x 10.9 cm H x 9.9 cm D)

Provenance: private Henderson, Nevada, USA collection, by inheritance; ex-M. McMahan, photographer, Los Angeles, California, USA, assembled 1965 to 1995

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Item # 202795

  • Condition: Repaired with restoration over some break lines and others visible. Loss to tail and chipping to top of head. Weathering as shown, all commensurate with age. Good remaining detail. No longer functions as a rattle.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000