Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Huastec, ca. 900 to 1450 CE. An evocative head, hand-carved using abrasion, pecking, and sanding techniques from a coarse volcanic stone. The head has large, deepset eyes, a lifelike nose and mouth, and, most strikingly, incised radiating lines that surround the mouth and nose. Certainly a piece that beckons many questions: Are these meant to represent facial hair, tattoos, or scarification? Who is this enigmatic figure, a deity or a ruler? Size: 4.7" W x 4.95" H (11.9 cm x 12.6 cm); 9.25" H (23.5 cm) on included custom stand.

The Huastecs, who lived on Mexico's Gulf Coast and ultimately, in the 15th century, became one of the satellite states of the Aztec Empire, are little known aside from limited artwork and Aztec accounts given to Spanish chroniclers - and the Aztecs, perhaps trying to justify their own conquest of these people, did not paint them in a flattering light. Recent archaeological research has begun to bring their rich iconography to life, but many mysteries remain.

Provenance: ex Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA, acquired prior to 1970

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#122143

  • Condition: One ear is lost; surface wear and weathering on stone surface commensurate with age.

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December 5, 2017 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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