Property from an American Private Collection
Olmec Stone Figure
Middle/Late Preclassic, circa 900 - 300 BC
Lot Closed
May 23, 03:05 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from an American Private Collection
Olmec Stone Figure
Guerrero region, Middle/Late Preclassic, circa 900 - 300 BC
Height, as mounted: 8 5/8 in (21.9 cm)
Private Collection
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in May, 1964
Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton,The Olmec World, Ritual and Rulership, December 16, 1995 - February 25, 1996; additional venues:
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 14 - June 9, 1996
Michael D. Coe, ed., The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership, Princeton, 1996, p. 304, cat. no. 220
The figure is an important example of the presence of the Olmec influence in the Guerrero region. The powerful, massive head and fierce mask of Olmec style dominate the aura of the figure, in contrast to the simple posture of standing with straight arms close to the body typical of Mezcala figures. The domed rounded head has narrow wide eyes surmounted by thick brows; the upturned trapezoidal projecting mouth mask resembles the fierce were-jaguar transformation masks. The mythology of the were-jaguar was a dominant element of the Preclassic era.
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