Diquís, Costa Rica Piedra Figura de ídolo masculino. 38 cm H. Licencia de Exportación Española.

Male Idol

- very important -

Diquis, Brumka, Costa Rica, 700 - 1000 AD

Terracotta

36 cm height and 38 cm height with stand.

Provenance:
- Private collection, Daniel Cordier, France, 1960.
- Private collection, Paris, France, until 2024.

Condition: Very good, see photos.

Documents: With Spanish Import / Export license.

The Diquís culture arose in the territory of what is now Costa Rica, along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea and in the inland mountains and valleys. This area is a resource-rich tropical forest, although the Pacific watershed has a dry summer season. The word diquís means Great Waters or Great River in the Boruca language, and the delta of the great Diquís River is a major feature of the region’s geography.

The Diquís culture is well known for its fine metalwork, particularly in gold and in the gold-copper alloy known as tumbaga. These metals were used to produce large quantities of finely worked pendants, bracelets, ornaments, earpieces, and adornments for clothing, many with images of jaguars and eagles. Other finds attribute to this culture include funeral masks and figurines, most representing birds. Apart from their work in gold, the Diquís are renowned for their stone sculptures, such as the large stone spheres found near cemeteries and the jaguar-shaped corn grinders, which display influences from groups that inhabited the territory of modern-day Colombia. Stone statues and effigies depict dead individuals and chiefs, carrying trophy heads or in positions of prayer. Others are male, female, or figures of indeterminate sex that are naked but marked with incisions that represent adornments such as necklaces and bracelets, body paint, and tattoos. The Diquís culture produced reddish-brown ceramic vessels that were decorated mainly by modeling and often included a tripod base. Decoration often takes the form of crocodiles or fishes. These ceramic pieces are often found alongside other vessels painted with red and black on a cream background and featuring simple geometric motifs, and other very thin-walled works modeled in animal shapes.

Diquís cemeteries varied by region. In mountainous areas, they built isolated tombs with platforms and walls made of pebbles, while in lowland regions burials were marked with large vertical stone slabs, sometimes forming true burial cists. Most graves have been found in large cemeteries built on steep hillsides. They are individual graves, each marked with a circle of partially buried stones and containing a rich array of grave goods



Notes:
- The piece includes authenticity certificate.
- The piece includes Spanish Import/Export License.
- The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property.