Description:

Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Aztec/Mexica, ca. 1200 to 1532 CE. A remarkable volcanic stone tenon that draws upon some of the most powerful imagery in the Aztec world. It takes the form of a tapering columnar body with integral sculpted terminals - a skull with deep eye sockets, a shallow nose, and a massive leering mouth full of teeth at one end and a hand with the fingers slightly curved over the palm at the other. In Aztec mythology, skulls often symbolized Mictlantecuhtli (Lord of Mictlan), the god of the dead and the king of the lowest section of the underworld, Mictlan. The hand, meanwhile, probably relates to the practice of bloodletting. Size: 11.75" W x 2.9" H (29.8 cm x 7.4 cm); 6" H (15.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Tenons like this example were set into wall mortises with other, similar tenons. Aztec public architecture featured many symbolic and artistic elements, many carved from stone, that reinforced their cosmology and religious rituals. Imagine walking through a city like Tenochtitlan and seeing carved decoration like this.

Provenance: ex-Barakat Gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, acquired prior to 2000

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#153789

  • Condition: Stone is lightly weathered with some small pits and nicks, but overall the form is in excellent condition.

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April 9, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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