Property from an American Private Collection
Olmec Stone Crouching Transformation Figure, Middle Preclassic, circa 900-600 BC
Lot Closed
November 21, 07:20 PM GMT
Estimate
7,000 - 10,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from an American Private Collection
Olmec Stone Crouching Transformation Figure
Middle Preclassic, circa 900-600 BC
Height: 4 ⅜ in (11.1 cm)
Miguel Covarrubias (1904-1957), Mexico City
George Pepper (1913-1969), Mexico City, acquired from the above
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in July 1967
George Pepper (1913-1969), Mexico City, acquired from the above
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in July 1967
The Art Museum, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership, December 16, 1995 - February 25, 1996; additional venue: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 14 - June 9, 1996
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Ancient America, long-term loan, 2001-2011
Michael D. Coe, ed. The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership, Princeton, 1995, p. 173, cat. no. 45
The readied crouching position of the figure is a seamless combination of the human and animal traits in a transformation posture. The sloping back with narrowed waist, strong sculpted shoulders, and bent legs forward and back appear to be a human form, yet the thick feline tail extends over to the left thigh. The head has been minimally carved as if unfinished, with softly raised feline ears and a narrow mouth. The slight indentation at the back of the head implies the presence of a helmet as seen distinctly in other crouching transformation figures (see Michael D. Coe, ed. The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership, Princeton, 1995, p. 170, fig. 1, and p. 172, cat. no. 44).
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