Zemi - Head Of Macoris - Taïno

Condition: Intact
Object sold with a certificate of authenticity.

This singular work is a magnificent demonstration of the sculptural skills of the Taino Indians.
This head called zemí, a term used by these people to designate a sacred entity embodying a deity or the spirit of an ancestor of the clan. It belongs to the particular group of "Macoris heads", called like this because many of them were found in the province of San Pedro de Macorís.
From an anatomical point of view, we find here the emaciated and hypnotic face characteristic of the zemís, endowed with an immense and strongly hollowed mouth, a heavy lower jaw projected forward, thin and gaunt lips, a bony nose, prominent cheekbones, large sunken eyes and earrings adorned with circular curls.
We also note the presence of a tiara or a band decorated with geometric patterns encircling the top of the skull. This is an element that appears on many comparable works, as well as the back part of the work, forming a tenon perhaps allowing this head to be upheld on a support or an architectural structure.