Provenance Information

Collection of Paul Arany, New York, probably by the late 1960s; [Throckmorton Fine Art, Inc., New York]; purchased by Assen and Christine Nicolov, Seattle, Washington, Oct. 27, 1998

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

None known

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Based on the results of provenance research, this labret was outside its probable country of modern discovery (Mexico) by the late 1960s. Per email correspondence with Throckmorton Fine Art employee Dimitri Treantafilos, Spencer Throckmorton confirmed that this labret (plus eleven others) came to the gallery from the collection of Paul Arany, who collected them while working in Mexico for the oil industry during the 1960s, thus placing them outside their country of modern discovery before 1970. The labret cleared a search conducted by the Art Loss Register. The Seattle Art Museum’s collection includes a few pieces of adornment—ear spools, pendants, necklaces—but not labrets. With this acquisition the museum can look cross-culturally at the practice of wearing lip plugs and other bodily adornments.

Provenance Information

Collection of Paul Arany, New York, probably by the late 1960s; [Throckmorton Fine Art, Inc., New York]; purchased by Assen and Christine Nicolov, Seattle, Washington, Oct. 27, 1998

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

None known

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Based on the results of provenance research, this labret was outside its probable country of modern discovery (Mexico) by the late 1960s. Per email correspondence with Throckmorton Fine Art employee Dimitri Treantafilos, Spencer Throckmorton confirmed that this labret (plus eleven others) came to the gallery from the collection of Paul Arany, who collected them while working in Mexico for the oil industry during the 1960s, thus placing them outside their country of modern discovery before 1970. The labret cleared a search conducted by the Art Loss Register. The Seattle Art Museum’s collection includes a few pieces of adornment—ear spools, pendants, necklaces—but not labrets. With this acquisition the museum can look cross-culturally at the practice of wearing lip plugs and other bodily adornments.

Provenance Information

Collection of Paul Arany, New York, probably by the late 1960s; [Throckmorton Fine Art, Inc., New York]; purchased by Assen and Christine Nicolov, Seattle, Washington, Oct. 27, 1998

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

None known

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Based on the results of provenance research, this labret was outside its probable country of modern discovery (Mexico) by the late 1960s. Per email correspondence with Throckmorton Fine Art employee Dimitri Treantafilos, Spencer Throckmorton confirmed that this labret (plus eleven others) came to the gallery from the collection of Paul Arany, who collected them while working in Mexico for the oil industry during the 1960s, thus placing them outside their country of modern discovery before 1970. The labret cleared a search conducted by the Art Loss Register. The Seattle Art Museum’s collection includes a few pieces of adornment—ear spools, pendants, necklaces—but not labrets. With this acquisition the museum can look cross-culturally at the practice of wearing lip plugs and other bodily adornments.

Provenance Information

Collection of Paul Arany, New York, probably by the late 1960s; [Throckmorton Fine Art, Inc., New York]; purchased by Assen and Christine Nicolov, Seattle, Washington, Oct. 27, 1998

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

None known

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Based on the results of provenance research, this labret was outside its probable country of modern discovery (Mexico) by the late 1960s. Per email correspondence with Throckmorton Fine Art employee Dimitri Treantafilos, Spencer Throckmorton confirmed that this labret (plus eleven others) came to the gallery from the collection of Paul Arany, who collected them while working in Mexico for the oil industry during the 1960s, thus placing them outside their country of modern discovery before 1970. The labret cleared a search conducted by the Art Loss Register. The Seattle Art Museum’s collection includes a few pieces of adornment—ear spools, pendants, necklaces—but not labrets. With this acquisition the museum can look cross-culturally at the practice of wearing lip plugs and other bodily adornments.

Provenance Information

Collection of Paul Arany, New York, probably by the late 1960s; [Throckmorton Fine Art, Inc., New York]; purchased by Assen and Christine Nicolov, Seattle, Washington, Oct. 27, 1998

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

None known

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Based on the results of provenance research, this labret was outside its probable country of modern discovery (Mexico) by the late 1960s. Per email correspondence with Throckmorton Fine Art employee Dimitri Treantafilos, Spencer Throckmorton confirmed that this labret (plus eleven others) came to the gallery from the collection of Paul Arany, who collected them while working in Mexico for the oil industry during the 1960s, thus placing them outside their country of modern discovery before 1970. The labret cleared a search conducted by the Art Loss Register. The Seattle Art Museum’s collection includes a few pieces of adornment—ear spools, pendants, necklaces—but not labrets. With this acquisition the museum can look cross-culturally at the practice of wearing lip plugs and other bodily adornments.

Provenance Information

Collection of Robert and Marianne Huber, New York; [Sotheby’s, New York, Pre-Columbian Art, Nov. 20, 1995, sale no. 6778, lot no. 11, reproduced]; purchased by Assen and Christine Nicolov, Seattle, Washington

Exhibition Information

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Feasting with the Gods: Art and Ceremony in Ancient Mesoamerica and the Central Andes, Dec.11, 2003-July 19, 2004

Publication Information

José Antonio de Lavalle, Moche, Lima, 1985, pg. 55.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The cumulative facts and circumstances known to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) at the time of acquisition allowed the museum to make an informed judgment to acquire the object. Although it is not known when the work was outside its probable country of modern discovery (Peru), or acquired by Robert and Marianne Huber—important collectors of Pre-Columbian objects—this bowl featured prominently in the publication Moche (1985) by José Antonio de Lavalle. In addition, the work was included in an exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum, titled Feasting with the Gods: Art and Ceremony in Ancient Mesoamerica and the Central Andes, from December 11, 2003-July 19, 2004. This bowl cleared a search conducted by the Art Loss Register. SAM has ten Mochica vessels in its collection depicting warriors, humans, supernatural beings and animals, but not such a distinctive flaring vessel with exceptional quality of fine line painting. The vessel provides a visual documentation of an important theme in Mochica art and culture: mythical hunters and warriors.

Provenance Information

[Galerie El Jaguar, Caracas, Venezuela]; purchased by Lenora and Jimmy Belilty, Paris, France, probably by 1979; [Sotheby’s, New York, Pre-Columbian Art, Nov. 23, 1998, sale no. 7224, lot no. 14, reproduced]; purchased by Assen and Christine Nicolov, Seattle, Washington

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

José Antonio de Lavalle, Coleccion Arte y Tesoros del Peru, Moche, Lima, 1985, pl. 53.

José Antonio de Lavalle, Coleccion Arte y Tesoros del Peru, Trujillo, Lima, 1990, pg. 133.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Based on the results of provenance research, this Mochica Ai-Apec stirrup vessel was in Caracas, Venezuela by the late 1970s, when it was purchased by its previous owner, collector Jimmy Belilty. This piece featured prominently in two publications by José Antonio de Lavalle: Coleccion Arte y Tesoros del Peru Moche (1985 and 1990). Together, these cumulative facts and circumstances known at the time of acquisition allowed the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) to make an informed judgment to acquire the object. The vessel cleared a search conducted by the Art Loss Register. SAM’s collection has some examples of blackware ceramics, but nothing as rich as this piece in composition and iconography.

Provenance Information

[David Stuart Gallery, Los Angeles, California], by the late 1950s; private collection, Los Angeles, California, by 1980; [Sotheby’s, New York, Pre-Columbian Art, Nov. 25, 1996, sale no. 6921, lot no. 187, reproduced]; by private sale through Sotheby’s to Assen and Christine Nicolov, Seattle, Washington, Dec. 15, 1997

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

Karl Herbert Mayer, Maya Monuments: Sculptures of Unknown Provenance in the United States, Ramona, 1980, pp.37-38; illustrated in Mayer, Maya Monuments, Supplement I, Berlin, 1987, pl. 34.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Based on the results of provenance research, this Maya panel in two sections was outside its probable country of modern discovery (Mexico) by the late 1950s. Per the provenance published in Karl Herbert Mayer’s Maya Monuments, the panels were in the possession of David Stuart Gallery, Los Angeles, California, by the late 1950s. This fact is corroborated by the provenance included in the auction catalogue for Sotheby’s Pre-Columbian Art auction (sale no. 6921) on November 25, 1996: “Primus/Stuart Gallery, Los Angeles, acquired in the late 1950s.” The piece was published twice by Karl Herbert Mayer (1980, 1987). The panels cleared a search conducted by the Art Loss Register. SAM’s Pre-Columbian collection has very few works of scale, and this monumental piece would add a unique example of architectural art and offer an opportunity to present important themes of Maya iconography.

Provenance Information

Victor Showall, by 1992; [sold to Crane Gallery, Seattle, WA, 1992]; purchased from Crane Gallery by Herbert B. Hall, Seattle, 2010; gift from Mr. Hall to the Seattle Art Museum, 2011

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

None known

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Based on the results of provenance research, the museum can make an informed judgment that the Work was outside its probable country of modern discovery before 1970 or legally exported from its probable country of modern discovery after 1970: Glass vessels of this period and type are generally approved for export and sale from their countries of origin, to the best of our information and belief. Unfortunately, after due diligence there was no export documentation extant for this object by the time it was gifted to the museum.

Provenance Information

Mr. Ip Che collection; [J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 1993]; purchased by Robert B. Dootson, Seattle, 14 April 1993; bequest from Mr. Dootson to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 11 November 2010

Exhibition Information

None known

Publication Information

None known

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Mr. Dootson pledged his collection to the museum prior to 2008 (signed pledge agreement on file, dated December 2005)