Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Jalisco, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A rare and wonderful pottery flute known as an ocarina in the form of a delightful frog or toad. The amphibian rests in a crouching position with legs folded under the body, and the large, rounded posterior and arched back with applied spinal ridge give a puffed up, defensive stance to the creature. The wide flat head has two applied eyes and upturned snout, adding an inquisitive expression, and the open mouth acts as the mouthpiece. Two holes in the body are tonal or note holes to change the pitch. The surface is covered with heavy slip and painted in two shades of brown ochre. This ocarina is "toad-aly" functional and creates a haunting tone. A wonderful piece of ancient musical art! Size: 4.5" L x 4" W x 3.5" H (11.4 cm x 10.2 cm x 8.9 cm) Provenance: ex-Powers collection, Pacific Palisades, California, USA, before 2000 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #167858