*Sculpture zoomorphe

representing a ceremonial metate in the shape of a jaguar. The stylized body of the feline takes the form of a quadrangular tray and the four legs serve as feet. The head and body are decorated with geometric patterns that may refer either to the animal's spotted coat or to cultural or religious symbols. The animal's physiognomy indicates that it is reacting to stimuli. The head of a feline emerges on one side while on the other, its tail forms an arc and rests against a hind leg. The animal's eyes are wide open. The upturned lips reveal a long row of sharp teeth. And, the round ears are erect. The front and back legs are paired: on each side, a monkey is perched in balance and clutching the cat's legs. They are recognizable by their round eyes and protruding ears. This type of openwork panel characterizes the so-called "Flying Panel" metates, of which this one is the culmination. With its rich iconography and technical prowess, this work is like a real lace, ingeniously sculpted in a monolithic block of volcanic rock. Grey-brown volcanic rock Guanacaste - Nicoya, Costa Rica, 300 - 700 AD 22.9 x 30.5 x 86.4 cm Provenance: Former Nicholas Stoetzer collection, 1964 Metate is a flat, rectangular or round stone with a slightly concave surface. Its name comes from the Nahuatl metatl. It is a monolithic grinding stone that uses the force of the body with a pestle (mano). The part that remains immobile during the grinding operation is called the dormant millstone. Of volcanic origin and most often made of basalt, they can be apodal, tripodal and sometimes tetrapodal. It is above all a utilitarian object that has been used essentially for grinding for thousands of years (1300 BC) in Mesoamerica. The simplest ones had a utilitarian function to transform dried corn into flour and other products like nuts, seeds, salt, cocoa and pigments. Others, often richly decorated and more imposing, were reserved for shamanic rituals and used for the preparation of hallucinogenic plants. A sacred and emblematic animal, the jaguar is predominant here as it is on the example kept at the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica. According to Costa Rican beliefs, at nightfall, the Sun metamorphoses into a jaguar in order to continue its cycle from west to east, before resuming its place in the heavens at dawn. Good condition *This lot is presented in temporary importation