Cultures of Mexico - TOTONAQUE

Lot n° 27

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Estimation :

700 - 800 EUR

Cultures of Mexico - TOTONAQUE - Lot 27

Cultures of Mexico - TOTONAQUE Face of the rain god Chac. Terracotta Height 16 cm Totonaque culture, ca. 450-750 A.D. State of Veracruz, Mexico. Broken, glued and missing, otherwise well preserved. Provenance : Philippe Ancart Antiquaire, Brussels Private collection, Geneva (acquired from Philippe Ancart Antiquaire in 1982, with invoice in the archives). Private collection, Vaduz (acquired in 2006) The rain god Chac (also known as Tlaloc to the Aztecs) is depicted here in the classical manner, with wide-open eyes featuring circles that give the impression of spectacles. The mouth is open, revealing fangs. He is one of the most important gods in Mesoamerican mythology, as much as he is called upon to bring rain to fertilize the soil, he is also feared for the destructive power of flooding rivers and storms. As this is a temporary import lot (from outside the EU), an import VAT of 5.5% must be added to the auction price before it is released for consumption in France.

Sale information - PRECOLUMBIAN ART - FÄRBER-GERBRAND COLLECTION

Pre-Columbian art - Färber Collection

EXHIBITION

Monday, September 23 from 11 am to 6 pm - La Salle, 20 rue Drouot 75009 Paris

EXPERT

Yannick DURAND - yannickdurand.expert@gmail.com - 0647961530

Gerbrand and Suzanne Färber began collecting art in the mid-70s. He was a Dutch-born businessman who made his fortune in Brussels, and she was a Belgian-born art and music enthusiast. They met in Brussels and it was love at first sight, thanks in no small part to their shared interest in art. They decided to open a contemporary art gallery in Brussels in the 70s, which Suzanne managed: Galerie Färber. They exhibited works by such great names as Lynn Chadwick, Paul Jenkins, Gio Pomodoro, Gerardo Chavez, Antoine Mortier and Victor Pasmore. A frequent visitor to the art world, they were patrons of many artists. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Färber set up a charitable foundation to support young artists, which is still active today(https://www.carrefourdesarts.be/).

Fascinated by art and its history, they also took an interest in pre-Columbian, Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities. They developed their knowledge of these subjects through gallery-owning friends and art books, of which they had an impressive library.

Their apartment was transformed into a museum of ancient objects, complemented by modern and contemporary paintings and sculptures. Among the artists featured in their home were Joan Miro, Victor Brauner, Max Ernst, Paul Delvaux, Pablo Picasso, Asger Jorn, Pierre Alechinsky, Domenico Gnoli, Richard Diebenkorn, DADO, Lynn Chadwick and many others.

Between 1976 and 1985, they developed their collection in several directions, buying works from galleries, auction houses, private collectors and directly from artists' studios, mainly in Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland and England. With an astute eye for choice, and with the advice of philanthropist and patron Baron Joseph-Berthold Urvater, they acquired works by Surrealist painters, the Cobra Group, abstract sculptures, pre-Columbian objects and antiques, bringing together significant works from each period.

Gerbrand Färber's health declined from 1985 onwards: he soon lost his hearing and his eyesight deteriorated. The couple stopped enlarging their collection to concentrate on Gerbrand's health, who died in 2000. Suzanne continued her life alone, without children, and took full advantage of their art collection of almost 500 pieces until her death in 2019. A few years before her death, she made an extensive trip to Central America to discover the pre-Columbian civilizations that had so fascinated her.

The objects presented here are archaeological works. As far as possible, restorations and breakages have been noted and indicated in the notes. Just because it says "No breakage" does not mean that the object is intact. It simply means that no breakage is visible to the naked eye. All lots are sold as is, and no claims will be made after the sale. Provenances are those provided by the seller.

Part 1: Cultures of Mexico

Chinesco, ca. 100 B.C.-250 A.D.

Colima, ca 100 B.C.-250 A.D.

Jalisco, ca 100 B.C.-250 A.D.

Nayarit, ca 100 BC-250 AD.

Chupicuaro, ca 400-100 BC. J.C.

Cultures of the state of Veracruz: Totonaque, Remojadas, ca 600-900 AD.

Part 2: Cultures of Central America

Nicoya

Part 3: South American cultures

Chancay, ca. 1100-1400 A.D. Peru

Chimu, ca 1100-1400 A.D. Peru