Lot 137A
Pre-Columbian, southern Mexico, Guerrero region, Mezcala culture, ca. 200 BCE to 500 CE. A fine hand-carved stone effigy or architectural model of a temple facade, hand-carved from a dark brown hardstone. The stone is pecked and polished to resemble columns or pillars that taper slightly inward and support a roof finial, all upon an ovoid, rounded base. The horizontally grooved surface imbues a sense of depth to the carving, perhaps representative of stairs or niches, and the square perforation centered on the body is the entrance opening. Mezcala sculptural items that were similar to houses or temples began to intrigue collectors after the infamous ethnologist and art historian Miguel Covarrubias published a seminal paper on the subject. This is a lovely and intriguing example of the type! Size: 2.5" L x 1.35" W x 3.5" H (6.4 cm x 3.4 cm x 8.9 cm)
Stone models in the Mezcala style come largely from the present-day state of Guerrero, in southwest Mexico. A particularly long-lived tradition, these works may have been produced over some one thousand years, from as early as 500 BCE. Little is known about their archaeological contexts, and there are few points of reference with surviving architecture in the region. It is possible that these models emulate buildings with stone columns, such as those from Cuetlajuchitlan; alternatively, they could recall above- or below-ground funerary structures, in which case the columns would represent wood supports of a tomb or a funerary pyre.
Provenance: private California collection, USA, by descent; ex-Alfred E. Stendahl collection, Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired prior to 1990
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#168927
- Condition: Intact and excellent. Surface abrasions and nicks.
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