Statuette showing a seated shaman holding a potion... Lot 33

Statuette showing a seated shaman holding a potion receptacle in his hands. Her face has a powerful feline expression, accentuated by the open mouth, with lips turning into a jaguar's chopstick. The shaman here is probably under the effect of a hallucinogen and represented in a state of transformation from man to animal. Among the Olmecs, the mythical jaguar is one of the most powerful totems associated with the dominant clan. This work is distinguished by its size, its intense aesthetic expression and the quality of its sculpture made with lithic tools. Carved and polished hard stone, Olmec, Costa Rica, 900 to 400 B.C. 14 x 8.5 x 8.5 cm Provenance: old Parisian collection. Jouan Paris, sale of November 26, 2006, N°48 of the catalogue.