Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala, ca. 500 to 200 BCE. A mottled greenstone Mezcala standing anthropomorphic figure, displaying an elegant minimalist aesthetic and presenting an unusual form that fits somewhere between and M-6 type --with its broader, flatter face, sloping cheek planes that meet in the central vertical ridge which suggests a nose, and the flatter temporal region-- and an M-10 type, which according to expert Carlo Gay showed significant changes advancing them over the previous four types. For instance, note how the flat plane across the lower section of the face creates an illusion of a nose. According to Gay, "At its best, the M-10 type epitomizes Mezcala sculpture, representing an optimal solution to carving a viable portrayal of the human figure in an intractable material and with simple tools." (Carlo Gay, Mezcala Ancient Stone Sculpture from Guerrero Mexico. New York: Balsas Publications, 1992 p. 51). The depressed round eyes may have contained shell or stone inlay originally. An unusual example, string-cut from a stone of stunning dark green coloration with black and grey mottled intrusions. Custom, museum-quality stand. Size: 3.25" W x 8" H (8.3 cm x 20.3 cm); 8.375" H (21.3 cm) on stand

Provenance: Ex-Peter Arnovick collection, San Francisco, CA

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#116887

  • Condition: Diagonal line across face may indicate inclusion or well-executed repair. Chip at top of head may be old loss or perhaps inherent to stone.

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December 1, 2016 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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