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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Basalt Metates and Altars : Basalt Circular Metate
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Basalt Circular Metate - PF.4338
Origin: Costa Rica
Circa: 500
AD
to 1000
AD
Dimensions:
10.25" (26.0cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Basalt
$9,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
Three standing figures serve as legs of this
unusual circular metate. Each of the identical
figures, positioned at an angle, is naked and
attached to the base by their ankles, and on the
rim by striated hair pulled back tightly. Their
arms are placed over the groin area, their bodies
resembling that of a dwarf. The rim is
ornamented by a pattern of rectangles incised in
the centers by a horizontal line. By making the
circular base much smaller than the top, an
increase in 'tension' is felt in the upper portion,
emphasizing even further the dramatic features
of the figures' faces. Metates were elite items
used for ceremonial purposes, and also for
everyday use in grinding food. They stand as
symbols of the transformation process of life and
death; useful in both the material world and in
the afterlife.
- (PF.4338)
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