Lot 34
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero region, Mezcala culture, ca. 500 to 200 BCE. A fine pair of abstract anthropomorphic figures carved from mottled greenstone, each characteristic of the Mezcala sculptural tradition from the mountainous Guerrero region of southwestern Mexico. Both figures present the canonical flattened form and geometric stylization that define the Mezcala aesthetic - broad shoulders, tapered lower bodies, and simplified facial planes that evoke both human and divine presence. Their minimalist features are carefully executed with incised or chiseled lines to suggest deep-set eyes, triangular noses, and mouths delineated by sharp grooves. One figure features a pair of drilled perforations at either side of the neck, perhaps for suspension, suggesting it may have served as a pendant or amulet in ritual use. Size of larger: 1.9" W x 3.5" H (4.8 cm x 8.9 cm)
The lustrous green surfaces, smoothed through generations of handling and devotion, reflect the symbolic importance of greenstone as a material associated with fertility, water, and life force throughout Mesoamerica. Mezcala stone figures were often placed as offerings within tombs or temple caches, bridging the physical and spiritual realms. Their spare geometry, simultaneously human and abstract, influenced later artistic traditions in Mesoamerica, including Olmec and Teotihuacan sculpture. Together, these two figures embody the serene restraint and enduring mystery of Mezcala artistry - timeless expressions of ancestral reverence and cosmological order.
Provenance: ex-Adam Wright collection
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#197812
- Condition: Both have light surface wear with some loss of detail, but are otherwise intact and excellent with smooth surfaces. Larger is wearable as a pendant.
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