Pendant depicting a shaman in transformation. - Lot 389

Pendant depicting a shaman in transformation. Beautifully polished, translucent emerald-green jadeite. Guanacaste, Nicoya, Costa Rica, AD 1 - 500 Height: 15 cm Width: 4.5 cm Thickness: 1 cm Costa Rica. Guanacaste culture, Nicoya, ca. 1 - 500 A.D. Very good condition. Provenance : - Galerie 1492, Paris - Collection A. Bernand A certificate from Galerie 1492 dated July 12, 2018 will be given to the buyer. This type of pendant was probably worn by shamans or caciques. They represent the shaman in transformation, often as a jaguar. It has also been hypothesized that they may represent the shaman during a session of drug absorption and vomiting. These sessions, which could last several days, were preceded by ritual fasting and were followed by repeated vomiting, enabling the shaman to be purified and thus gain access to different levels of consciousness. This piece is extremely fine and meticulous. Its emerald-green jade is of great beauty and translucency. Expert in Pre-Columbian Arts: Yannick DURAND.