Neal Auction Company Early Spring Estates Auction March 27 and 28, 2010 Including Pre-Columbian Art from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
NEAL AUCTION COMPANY Early Spring Estates Auction March 27 And 28, 2010 The forty-eight lots being offered by Neal Auction Company represent a part of a collection of Pre-Columbian art which was amassed by Ralph Fabacher and Higford Griffiths and which was gifted to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1965 by Alice Hogg Hanszen. Many of the objects were exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in their seminal exhibition Pre-Columbian Art from Middle America, which took place from February to August 1966, shortly after the generous Hanszen gift. Throughout the years the examples have been displayed in the museum s regular gallery installations; some have taken part in the museum s 2000-2001 traveling library exhibition From Playful Pups to Feathered Serpents: Animals in Ancient Mesoamerica; while others found their way to the Huntsville Museum of Art where, from September to December 1979, they were shown in an exhibition titled Pre Columbian Art in Southern Collections. The overall quality of the group is best expressed by the late Dr. Gordon F. Ekholm (1909-1987), an early authority on Mesoamerican artifacts and Curator of Mexican Archaeology (1937 1974) at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, who, in a 1965 letter, describes the Fabacher/Griffiths/Hanszen objects as an extremely important basic group of materials in any museum having an interest in the area. Ekholm further states his opinion that the collection is comprised of only objects which are completely authentic. For the 1966 MFA,H exhibition catalogue, Ekholm writes: It is this variety of form and style which characterize the collection that has been happily acquired by the Houston Museum. The collection was made by individuals who have widely ranging interests, and we find represented in it most of the important regions and periods of Ancient Mexico. Unlike many collections that are confined to limited regions, this one is notably eclectic and meaningful. Neal Auction Company Page 1
To view Neal Auction Company s color catalogue online, please visit www.nealauction.com where images of each lot will be uploaded by Monday, March 15, 2010. To order a print catalogue, please call 800-467-5329. Examples from the collection include: Lot 582 Two Jalisco Polished Pottery Female Figures, c. 300 BC AD 300, h. 5 ½ in. & 6 ½ in. Each figure exhibited Pre-Columbian Art from Middle America, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 24, 1966 August 1, 1966; the standing figure illustrated as no. 99 in the exhibition catalogue and on the catalogue cover. $500/700 Lot 589 A Colima Polished Pottery Figure of a Scratching Dog, c. 300 BC AD 300, h. 3 ¾ in. Exhibited Pre-Columbian Art from Middle America, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 24, 1966 August 1, 1966 and From Playful Pups to Feathered Serpents: Animals in Ancient Mesoamerican Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Traveling Library Exhibition, 2000-2001. Lot 596 A Mezcala Carved Stone Figure of a Standing Male, c. 200 BC AD 300, h. 2 ¾ in. Exhibited Pre-Columbian Art from Middle America, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 24, 1966 August 1, 1966. $300/500 Neal Auction Company Page 2
Lot 598 A Mezcala Carved Stone Head, c. 200 BC AD 300, h. 3 ¼ in. $800/1,200 Lot 605 A Tlatilco Polished Pottery Figure, c. 100 BC AD 300, h. 6 in. Exhibited Pre-Columbian Art from Middle America, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 24, 1966 August 1, 1966. $600/800 Lot 610 A Maya Pottery Figure of a Fat Man, c. 100 1519, h. 4 ½ in. Neal Auction Company Page 3
Lot 612 A Maya Pottery Figure of a Fat Man, c. 100 1519, h. 4 ½ in. Lot 615 A Veracruz Carved Stone Palma, c. 300 1200, h. 4 ½ in. Exhibited Pre-Columbian Art from Middle America, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 24, 1966 August 1, 1966. $500/700 Lot 618 Two Veracruz Animal Form Pottery Whistles, c. 300 1200, h. 2 in. & 1 ¾ in. Each figure exhibited From Playful Pups to Feathered Serpents: Animals in Ancient Mesoamerican Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Traveling Library Exhibition, 2000-2001. Ne a l Au c t i o n Co m pa n y Pr i vat e & Co n f i d e n t i a l Pa g e 4 Neal Auction Company Page 4
Lot 619 A Veracruz Hog s Head Pottery Mask, c. 600 900, h. 5 ¼ in. Exhibited Pre-Columbian Art from Middle America, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 24, 1966 August 1, 1966 and From Playful Pups to Feathered Serpents: Animals in Ancient Mesoamerican Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Traveling Library Exhibition, 2000-2001. $300/500 Lot 620 A Veracruz Pottery Figure of a Warrior, c. 600 900, h. 6 ½ in. Exhibited Pre-Columbian Art from Middle America, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 24, 1966 August 1, 1966; illustrated as no. 187 in the exhibition catalogue. $600/800 Ne a l Au c t i o n Co m pa n y Pr i vat e & Co n f i d e n t i a l Pa g e 5 Neal Auction Company Page 5
Lot 622 Two Veracruz Animal Form Pottery Whistles, c. 600 900, h. 3 ½ in. & 4 3/8 in. Each figure exhibited From Playful Pups to Feathered Serpents: Animals in Ancient Mesoamerican Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Traveling Library Exhibition, 2000-2001. INQUIRIES BETTINE FIELD CARROLL estates@nealauction.com BID DEPARTMENT JACKIE HERNANDEZ database@nealauction.com 4 0 3 8 M A G A Z I N E S T R E E T N E W O R L E A N S L A 7 0 1 1 5 P. 5 0 4. 8 9 9. 5 3 2 9 F. 5 0 4. 8 9 7. 3 8 0 8 w w w. n e a l a u c t i o n. c o m Ne a l Au c t i o n Co m pa n y Pr i vat e & Co n f i d e n t i a l Pa g e 6 Neal Auction Company Page 6