153 - - Nice set of five zoomorphic ocarinas.

- Nice set of five zoomorphic ocarinas. Terracotta, polychrome remains, marks of time Guanacaste - Nicoya, Costa Rica, late Period IV, 200 - 500 A.D. From 6 to 11 cm Provenance: acquired by Mr. Martinez from the former Arts des Amériques gallery, Paris, between the late 1970s and early 1980s. Bibliography : Abel-Vidor, Suzanne et al, Between Continents / Between Seas: Precolumbian Art of Costa Rica, Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1981, p. 188, for similar examples. In the Guanacaste-Nicoya region of Costa Rica, ocarinas play an important role in musical and ritual practices. Equipped with multiple perforations to modulate sounds, they were used in ceremonies, collective dances and community gatherings. Zoomorphic forms, often inspired by local animals, reflect a close relationship between man and his environment, with certain species acquiring a strong symbolic value. The sometimes humanized treatment of these figures reinforces this dimension, suggesting intermediate entities between the animal world and that of divinities. The whole bears witness to a production that is both functional and expressive, characteristic of the cultures of ancient Costa Rica.