Olmec Pendant

Frances Pratt, Teochita, New York (inv. no. Teo 1009)
Howard and Saretta Barnet, New York, acquired from the above on January 20, 1971

Please note, thin horizontal pale lines across the face of the pendant are natural veining of the jade and are not breaks or repairs. The pendant has 5 sets of tiny perforations around the perimeter and is also perforated at the nostril and open mouth with tiny holes as visible. Overall appears to be completely intact. Lovely blue-green colour and natural polish.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The fine blue-green jade pendant is finely and precisely carved with a frontal face with a distinctive slightly puckered, open mouth. With curving lips, large recessed eyes, possibly once inlaid, and framed by thick curled fronds around the face, it was a cherished pendant pierced for use as an ornament. It is of bib-type with the lower collar pierced with tiny holes, and similarly pierced at the center of the mouth, below the nose, and at the temples. The facial style resembles the Olmec deity known as the Fat God, whose mouth is often depicted in this rounded, puckered form. Various interpretations are associated with the Fat God, including its representing a sacred performance figure. In his discussion of a Fat God maskette at Dumbarton Oaks (inv. no. B-551) and the overall significance of this God, Taube argues that the triadic presence of the Fat God on stone and ceramic objects suggests he is an embodiment of the three-stone hearth metaphor of the world core, axis mundi.¹

An Olmec jade pendant of similar form is illustrated on the cover of Kuchta, Treasures of Pre-Columbian Art: Collection of Janos Szekeres, Utica, n.d.

¹ Taube, Olmec Art at Dumbarton Oaks, (Pre-Columbian art at Dumbarton Oaks), Vol. 2, Washington, D.C., 2004, p. 161