Pre-Columbian Costa Rican stone trophy heads

Pair of Stone Trophy Heads

Pre-Columbian Costa Rica, Central Highlands, ca. 800 – 1200 CE
Height: 3 1/4 in. (8.2 cm) and 4 in. (10.2 cm)

A pair of hand-carved stone trophy heads, each sculpted with bold, abstracted features and deeply incised eyes and mouths, capturing the powerful aesthetic of Pre-Columbian Costa Rican stone sculpture. Both heads exhibit the characteristically angular profile, strong jawline, and stylized facial planes associated with trophy head cult imagery — a potent symbol of warfare, sacrifice, and ancestral power in ancient Isthmo-Colombian societies.

Carved from dense volcanic stone and smoothed by centuries of handling and ritual use, these compact effigies were likely employed as portable ritual emblems, possibly mounted on wooden poles or displayed in elite shrines. Trophy heads played a central role in the ideological landscape of ancient Costa Rica, serving as tangible representations of martial victory, lineage legitimacy, and the transition between life and death.

While single examples are occasionally encountered, matched pairs of this size and preservation are exceedingly uncommon. Their survival together provides a rare glimpse into the ceremonial context of Costa Rica’s stone-carving tradition, and their restrained geometry and powerful presence speak to the region’s distinctive sculptural language.

Objects of this quality are represented in only a few major institutional collections, including the Museo del Oro Precolombino (San José) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, underscoring the exceptional rarity and cultural significance of the present pair.

Legal and Provenance Disclosure

This artifact has been legally acquired and is offered for sale in full compliance with all applicable U.S. and international laws governing the ownership and transfer of cultural property. The piece was acquired in the United States from MiddleManBrokers Inc., Sunrise, Florida, and no earlier collection history has been provided or is known to the present owner.

While comprehensive provenance prior to that acquisition is unavailable, the object has remained in private hands within the United States and is not known to have been illicitly exported or imported in violation of any cultural property laws. It is offered here as legally owned private property.