Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala culture (Balsas culture), ca. 700 to 200 BCE. A string-cut olive green jadeite pendant in the form of a stylized human face with a large forehead and cheeks. Greenstone was more valuable than gold in Mesoamerica, and this would have been a valuable item, perhaps buried with its owner, an important person, to mark his or her passing and provide an identity in the grave. Outside the grave, the dead were sometimes represented in art merely by a mask, or a mask set upon a small pyramid. The piece is drilled for suspension through the forehead. Size: 1.25" H (3.2 cm)

Provenance: private Stagecoach, Nevada, USA collection; acquired from 1985 to present from galleries such as Arte Primitivo, Art For Eternity, Butterfields, and Riverbend Gallery

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#128822

  • Condition: Repaired from three pieces; repairs are well done and almost impossible to see. Signs of wear around the drilled hole.

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

Artemis Fine Arts

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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