Lot 29
  • 29

MASQUE EN PIERRE TECALICULTURE TEOTIHUACAN, VALLÉE DE MEXICOCLASSIQUE, 450-650 AP. J.-C. |

Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 EUR
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Description

  • larg. 19 cm ; 7 1/2 in

Provenance

Collection M. et Mme Samuel A. Marx, Chicago
Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1958 (inv. n° 58.323 )
Sotheby's, New York, 11 mai 2012, n° 42, vendu par The Art Institute of Chicago
Importante Collection privée française

Exhibited

Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, collections permanentes, 1960-2012

Condition

the broad youthful face with high rounded cheekbones, wide oval eyes and open mouth, the ears pierced for ornaments; in translucent yellow-green stone.  Excellent condition overall. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Ce très beau masque Teotihuacan est sculpté en tecali (onyx) de couleur jaune apprécié pour ses nuances de couleurs allant du blanc translucide au jaune teinté de vert comme c'est le cas ici. Cette pierre est originaire de la région de Puebla. Le visage s’inscrit dans un triangle à la pointe arrondie qui lui donne une certaine douceur. Sous un haut front fuyant et une ligne de sourcils très légèrement marquée, deux cavités ovales représentent les yeux à l’origine incrustés de pyrites ou de coquillage. Le nez à l’arête très fine s’élargit pour former un parfait triangle. Les lèvres épaisses encadrent la bouche légèrement ouverte et qui était incrustée de coquillages blancs pour figurer les dents. Un fragment de masque tecali de la collection Dumbarton Oaks montre des reliquats de textile sur le front, indiquant la vulnérabilité de ce matériau et étayant la théorie de la fixation de masques avec un emballage sophistiqué de matériaux périssables (Evans, Ancient Mexican Art at Dumbarton Oaks, 2010, p. 50-51, pl. 14). 

Il existe un masque tecali vert pâle inventorié dans la collection d'Antoine de Médicis après son décès en 1621, et aujourd'hui conservé au Museo degli Argenti à Florence - voir Moctezuma et Olguin, Aztèques, 2002, p. 404, n° 12 et n° 824.

Voir aussi les masques en tecali publiés par Pasztory dans Teotihuacan, 1993, pp. 189-191, n° 29 et n° 30 conservés au Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienne (14685, 6250);  n°. 31 au University Museum, University of Pennsylvania (66.27.14); n° 32 de la Yale University Art Gallery (1980.13.12); et n° 33 à The Art Museum, Princeton University (L.1970.44).

The beautiful mask is carved in tecali, a calcite known as Mexican onyx and prized for the colors ranging from translucent white to a pale lime-green as in this example. One source of tecali stone was from the Puebla region. The face is carved in a triangular form with a rounded chin that imbues a gentle softness. The high forehead is marked by fine eyebrows and the recessed eyes were once inlaid with pyrite or shell. The nosebridge expands to a form a perfect triangle and the full lips are slightly open, once inlaid with white shells forming the teeth.

A tecali mask fragment in the Dumbarton Oaks collection shows remains of textile impression on the forehead, indicating the vulnerability of this material and supporting the theory of masks being attached with the elaborate wrapping of perishable material (Evans, Ancient Mexican Art at Dumbarton Oaks, 2010, pp. 50-51, pl. 14). 

For a lime-green tecali mask inventoried in Antonio de Medici's collections at the time of his death in 1621, now in the Museo degli Argenti, Florence, see Moctezuma and Olguin, Aztecs, 2002, p. 404, no. 12 and no. 824.

See also the tecali masks in Pasztory, Teotihuacan, 1993, pp. 189-191, nos. 29, 30 in the Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienna (14685, 6250); no. 31 in the University Museum, University of Pennsylvania (66.27.14); no. 32 in Yale University Art Gallery (1980.13.12); and no. 33 at The Art Museum, Princeton University (L.1970.44).