Lot 91B
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero region, Chontal, ca. 800 to 300 BCE. A gorgeous standing greenstone "spirit" figure with a stable base and a slender ovoid body, one arm extending outwards and the other against the chest. The front of the stone itself exhibits sage- and emerald-green hues with areas of lighter inclusions, and the verso displays beige- and toffee-hued striations. A thick neck supports an oblong head, with simple yet abstracted anthropomorphic features including discoid eyes, a bar-shaped mouth and nose, puffy cheeks, and an acutely-angled brow line. The neck, arms, and facial details are all delineated through the meticulous string-cutting process, and the polished surface is the result of an arduous smoothing process. A beautiful and exceptionally well-carved example! Size: 3.875" H (9.8 cm).
Ancient Mesoamerican cultures are thought to be some of the most spiritually-conscious groups, not through written word but through their artistic creations. While the true meaning of these items has been lost to the sands of time, their symbolic meanings have been extrapolated from similar examples and item typologies.
Later Mesoamerican peoples clearly cherished their portable sculptures as heirlooms. Chontal creations have been unearthed in ritual caches at Templo Mayor, the principle temple of the fifteenth-century Aztecs of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). The Guerrero region of modern-day southwestern Mexico was the center of the Mezcala and Chontal stone carving traditions. While Mezcala artists are known for their abstract, geometric style, the Chontal sculptors imbued their artworks with more naturalism.
This example of Chontal stonework is rather unusual given the elementary design of the body and face. Perhaps derived from a belief that spirits have more-amorphous characteristics than their corporeal counterparts, spirit figures like these embody elements of the natural world that ancient Mesoamericans just werent able to understand. This example, being formed from greenstone, could perhaps represent the essence of anything from plentiful harvests to protection in battle or even an individual who fancied the color green.
Provenance: private Andrade collection New York, New York, USA, acquired 1960s; ex-Knoedler & Company, New York, New York, USA
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#131183
- Condition: Expected age-commensurate surface wear and abrasions as well as a few ancient chips to head, base, and verso, otherwise intact and choice.
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