Lot 97
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala, ca. 500 to 200 BCE. An impressively large and meticulously rounded greenstone ceremonial object with a cup-shaped cavity on both the front and back sides and a small hole connecting each side. According to Mezcala stone sculpture expert Carlos Gay, "The fact that each pair (of sides) is linked by an opening defines the idea of passage already inherent in the cupules themselves. The idea is thus materialized in a symbolic aperture comparable and, probably, alternate to the function of single holes in the center of other objects, such as pebbles and flat disks." Gay goes on to feature a pair of illustrated examples that are very similar to the two we are featuring in this auction. (See our other lot featuring a larger stone votive of a remarkably similar form.) Providing the context for an endearing black and white photo depicting a cat resting its head on one such cobble in none other than William Spratling's living room, Gay writes, "In the mid-1960s, a few of these large, perforated cobbles were in the collection of the late William Spratling of Taxco el Viejo, Guerrero. As it has been impossible to obtain photographs of them from the museum allegedly caring for the collection in Taxco, a file print of one of the cobbles is here reproduced (Pl. 240), both for the record and to emphasize the exceptional size of such concavity-bearing stones, for which there seems to have been no practical use, especially in view of the tiny holes connecting the two concavities. It should also be noted that the illustrated Spratling stone is so well rounded as to have been purposely shaped." (Carlos Gay and Frances Pratt, "Mezcala: Ancient Stone Sculpture from Guerrero Mexico," Geneva, Switzerland: Balsas Publications, 1992, pp. 205-206). An exceedingly rare piece from the ancient Mezcala culture, quite similar to the one presented by Carlos Gay in his classic text on Guerrero stone sculpture. A piece so large and heavy, seemingly without any practical function given the connecting hole, that Gay concludes it must have been used for ceremonial purposes. Beyond this, the stone is inherently beautiful with its mottled green and white coloring and russet inclusions as well. What's more the painstaking technique required to create those sinuous contours is indicative of the handiwork of an expert sculptor. Size: 7.5" W x 4.5" H (19 cm x 11.4 cm); concavity measures 2.75" (7 cm) in diameter; hole measures .5" (1.3 cm) in diameter
Provenance: Ex-Paul Simon, Taos, New Mexico
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#116046
- Condition: Repaired from several pieces, but all there. Incredibly rare.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
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| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |