An Aztec deity of Xochipilli-Macuilxochitl (circa AD 1450-1521) is valued at $80,000-120,000 ahead of Bonhams' African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian sale in New York on November 12.
Xochipilli-Macuilxochitl was the Aztec god of (among other things) art, beauty and music - his name roughly translating to "Flower Prince".
 The Aztecs had a rich pantheon of gods |
The piece is carved in aragonite and stands at 12 inches tall. It displays spectacular detail and is shown wearing ceremonial garb, including a crested coxcoxtli (bare-faced currasow) headdress and a beaded necklace.
Other lots include a rare Mayan polychrome vase displaying a court scene that dates to around AD 600-900.
"This tall, slender late Classic Maya polychrome cylinder presents a scene with six standing figures: two nobles meeting face to face accompanied by their retainers and a dwarf companion," says Bonhams.
"The three secondary dignitaries are all dressed similarly and are probably of roughly equal rank."
It also displays a number of glyphs, one of which translates to: "from the seeds of."
A Mayan court marker used in the Mesoamerican ballgame (also known as Poc-a-Toc) is up for auction at Artemis Gallery in Colorado on October 24 with a $125,000-175,000 estimate.
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