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TAINO PRECOLUMBIAN SHAMAN BAT MAN BOWL

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:380.00 USD Estimated At:NA
TAINO PRECOLUMBIAN SHAMAN BAT MAN BOWL
Taino. PreColumbian. Exceptional Bat man (shaman’s) bowl. The exaggerated ears suggest this may represent a Dominican Fruit bat. Human-like arms extend from the sides of the bats head with the hands resting on vessels edge. There are two human figures carved on each side of the vessel. No doubt it belonged to an important shaman and was probably used to hold cohoba during significant ceremonial events. Each human figure has a platform head resembling a cohoba stand, a symbolic metaphor for the bowls use. The bat’s feet appear opposite the head and resembles a “ghost figure”. The sides of the bowl are profusely decorated with interfacing bird head symbols. The most outstanding bat related piece I have seen, personifying the magic and mystery of shamanic purpose. Stone bowls this size are extremely rare in the PreColumbian context. Made of magnetite with a positive magnetic field and quite heavy. Measures 12 inches. Taino culture c.800-1500AD. Originally from the collection of William MacFeeters, a bank representative for National and City Bank, NYC, who was an agent for the bank in Barahona, Dominican Republic, in the 1940’s through the 1950’s. Collection privately acquired and now being dispersed. Curated by Larry Roberts author of “Taino Sculptures, Art of the Gods”. “Taino Hallucinogenic Implements Inhaling the Cosmic Dust” and newly released “Taino Zemis and Other Heads of State, ReDiscovering Caribbean Art”. BS. Archeology U of Fl and BA Art History U of Fl. The Taino were master carvers who created a distinctive deistic and ancestral assembly unrivaled by their pan-Caribbean contemporaries. Exceptional craftsmanship, carefully polished semiprecious stone, and ingenious technological skills speak to our aesthetic sensibilities. Though we may not understand the arts specifics, the conceptual grasp is sublime. Taino art transmitted symbolic meaning, sacral ideology and tribal lineage. A recognized system of shapes, design elements and ideographs, forming a collective manifest that communicated social identity and cultural cohesion. This lot has a reserve.