Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mezcala Culture, Upper Balsas River Drainage, State of Guerrero, West Mexico, Ca. 700 BCE – 200 CE. A standing male figure with a large and imposing body, carved from a beautiful deep-green stone with black inclusions. The top of the head was abraded in the Common Mezcala spiritual practice of “killing” the piece before burial to release the spirit of the individual represented(This served the same function as the “kill hole” that is found on many pottery bowls from the Prehistoric Southwestern United States). The eyes were roughly pecked out, and originally contained shell inlays which are now lost. Size: 11-1/2"H x 4"W x 3" deep.

A highly-unusual Mezcala figure depicting a clearly-important individual with a large, imposing(and well-fed!) body. This is much more a portrait of a unique individual than most Mezcala pieces, which are usually stiff and formulaic, with no distinct individuality. It has personality and presence. Another unique characteristic of this sculpture is that it seems to have been carved from one large greenstone cobble, which the sculptor found, and only minimally reworked.

Provenance: Ex-private Los Angeles, CA collection.

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#115602

  • Condition: Intact

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June 22, 2016 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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