Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast of Mexico, Veracruz (Vera Cruz) region, Late Classic Period, ca. 1000 to 1200 CE. A marvelous, hand-built pottery effigy head depicting a warrior peering out from beneath a thick helmet with almond eyes and a bulbous nose with thick nostrils. The stern countenance is framed within the helmet by a broad upper band bearing a pair of spiraling terminals. Above is the magnificently stylized head of an eagle with delineated teeth and a thick tongue inside a gaping maw, a characteristic aquiline beak, bulging eyes beneath large, drooping bags, and spiraling feathers atop the head. The rounded and otherwise hollow form of this composition suggests it was intended to fit over a larger figural effigy, act as a votive hacha, be worn as a palma on the yoke of a ballgame player, or perhaps present as decoration for a sizable funerary offering like an incensario or a burial urn to depict the deceased. Size: 5.75" W x 9.25" H (14.6 cm x 23.5 cm); 13.3" H (33.8 cm) on included custom stand. Provenance: ex-Splendors of the World, Haiku, Hawaii, USA, before 2010 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #173803