Lot 123B
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala culture, ca. 300 to 100 BCE. A striking pendant in the form of the so-called "axe god," this stone figure embodies the spiritual minimalism of Mezcala artistry. Carved from a mottled, creamy-white stone, the figure is reduced to essential geometric shapes: rectangular torso, squared arms, and short, slightly parted legs, with a broad head cut at an angular taper. Its face is only subtly suggested by a flattened plane and a bored suspension hole that pierces straight through the forehead - an aperture used both to hang the pendant and perhaps to 'awaken' its spirit through ritual activation. These abstract anthropomorphic forms are thought to derive from the outlines of functional stone axes, gradually transformed by Mezcala lapidaries into ritual objects imbued with divine presence. Size: 0.7" L x 1.4" W x 3.5" H (1.8 cm x 3.6 cm x 8.9 cm); 4.8" H (12.2 cm) on included custom stand.
Worn around the neck or deposited as tomb offerings, such pendants likely represented deified ancestors or supernatural beings tasked with protection and transformation in both life and death. Despite its simplicity, the form pulses with vitality - the waist subtly drawn in, the legs deeply notched, the shoulders left broad and emphatic. Each facet, curve, and contour feels intentional, testifying to a spiritual system in which form and meaning were inseparably fused.
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
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#195905
- Condition: Encrustations to suspension hole inhibiting wearability. Head has been professionally reattached with breakline just barely visible. Chipping to verso of head and some nicks and abrasions in areas. Smooth surfaces and liberal remaining detail.
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