Lot 73A
Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico/Guatemala, Olmec, ca. 1150 to 500 BCE. An expertly carved jade pendant that can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand it depicts a kneeling hunchback figure, crouching in profile with incised details delineating arms clasped to the chest and legs, and a wonderful visage delineated via string-cut and pierced markings, biconically perforated for suspension behind the eye. When rotated 180 degrees the piece transforms into the helmeted head of a ball player, its fabulously abstract visage in profile, the perforations representing eye, earspool, and nostril. In addition to this dual iconography, the skillful workmanship and the inherent beauty of the stone with its dynamic green, grey, russet, and white hues, makes this piece more than impressive. Custom stand. Size: 2.375" W x 3.125" H (6 cm x 7.9 cm); 4.375" H (11.1 cm) on included custom stand.
The Pre-Columbian ballgame originated in the first millennium BCE, most likely in the Valley of Mexico, and was regarded as not merely an athletic activity but rather as a ceremonial means of controlling or predicting the future. The ancients of Mesoamerica played ballgames in a sacred ball court space. Some cultures expected players to dedicate themselves to practicing the game and preparing for matches; however, other cultures forced war captives to play the game and sacrificed the losing team. Another custom involved using the possessions of onlookers as prizes for the victorious team.
The sculptor of this piece also brilliantly captured the dramatic hunchback form, with that pronounced physiognomic deformity and compromised position. Scholars have argued that in the Pre-Columbian world such deformities were regarded as signs that these individuals were special, touched by the deities, and as such they were oftentimes chosen to be shaman.
Provenance: private R.D. collection, Long Beach, California, USA collection, acquired over twenty five years from various major galleries
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#125816
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