Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero, Chontal, ca. 200 to 600 CE. A finely-sculpted mask, hand-carved from mottled green-hued stone with dark inclusions, depicting Choc (sometimes Ik Chaua or Ek Chuah), the god of cacao and patron deity of merchants. The mask is characteristically abstract with hemispherical eyes, a bulbous nose with drilled nostrils, a gaping mouth with U-shaped fangs, and slender ears with drilled holes meant for additional ornamentation. The top of the mask has two drilled holes which allow it to be fastened to the face of a deceased individual, and a missing upper corner likely housed a third hole. Size: 5.5" W x 5.1" H (14 cm x 13 cm).

Provenance: Estate of R. Pearson, Denver, Colorado, USA; Mr. Pearson collected from the third quarter of the 20th century until he passed away., acquired from Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA in 2012; ex-private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired in the 1980s

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#143195

  • Condition: Restoration to bulb of nose, with resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Losses to areas of neck and forehead. Minor nicks and abrasions to forehead, face, peripheries, and verso, with light encrustations within some recessed areas. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Old inventory label on verso.

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July 16, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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