Click image to view full screen
Plate with Supernatural Being
✓ Authenticity guarantee · ✓ Specialist condition report · ✓ Insured worldwide shipping · ✓ Private-room viewing
This plate is carved with a feline supernatural sacrificer who holds a severed human head in its clawed paws. The diagonal clusters of plant foliage at the figure’s shoulders and hips imply that death is tied to the earth’s fertility, one being a precondition for the other. The figure, therefore, may be an apotheosis of the life-death cycle.
| Artist / Maker | Anonymous, Cupisnique people |
|---|---|
| Date | 900–600 BCE |
| Culture / Origin | Central Andes, north coast, probably Jequetepeque Valley, Cupisnique people |
| Medium | stone (probably steatite [soapstone]) |
| Dimensions | Overall: 4 x 16.4 cm (1 9/16 x 6 7/16 in.) |
| Department | Art of the Americas |
| Type | Ceramic |
About the Artist
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
Shipping & Collection
Fine-art shipping with climate control and full insurance to over 120 countries; collection by appointment.
Buying at Matchless Pieces
Register, verify your identity, and bid online or in a private room. Buyer’s premium and taxes are shown before you confirm.
