Lot 205C
Pre-Columbian, Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec, ca. 900 to 600 BCE. In a word, wow! Finely carved and string-cut from light sage green jade, an incredibly expressive depiction of an infant were-jaguar face with its cleft chin, ovoid eyes, short wide flattened nose, trapezoidal mouth with flared upper lip and drooping corners, making for a feline mouth - and the fleshy cheeks of an infant feline. The usual headband and earflaps are not present, probably to allow room on the stone's surface for that incredibly dramatic expression, which even surpasses the most theatrical Olmec visages we have encountered. The eyes are almost bean shaped with drilled double pupils, and the mouth features drilled 'dimples' at the lower corners and a central hole which continues to the back side where it widens considerably. Additional perforations at the peripheries were created presumably for attachment. Red cinnabar rubbed on the surface further intensifies the countenance. A stupendous full maskette! Custom stand. Size: 3.5" W x 3.375" H (8.9 cm x 8.6 cm); 4.5" H (11.4 cm) on stand.
The attention to detail on this piece is quite impressive. Note the expressive lips and cleft palette of the jaguar mouth, the full nose with pierced nostrils, the stylized elliptical-shaped eyes, and the partially drilled circular motifs at the corners of the mouth. To the Olmecs, masks and maskettes like this example carried many meanings, not all of which are obvious to us today; however, scholars surmise that the color green was associated with vibrant growth, renewal, and given the cyclical conception of life and death, rejuvenation after death.
Provenance: private R.D. collection, Long Beach, California, USA collection, acquired over twenty five years from various major galleries.
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#124373
- Condition: Loss (probably an old loss) to lower left. Otherwise in excellent condition.
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