Ca. 600-1500 AD. Dominican Republic. Made of a dense greenstone. Elaborate bird man tray with relief carved head and legs. Bird man imagery has a close visual relationship with shaman, in this case the cacique or shaman leader. This remarkable example has a fully carved head with a secondary zoomorphic head incorporated into the beak. The two large wings have complex interlocking bird head icons and stretch to long human like legs. The beak of a long billed avian being divides the legs. 12″ long x 7 1/4″ wide. 5.2 lbs. Provenance: Estate of Ron Dabney, New Orleans Pre-Columbian art dealer. Condition consistent with age and use.
