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Details
LOT 2422
Prehispanic Olmec Jade Mask
900-400 B.C. OR LATER
6 7/8 in. (557 grams total, 17.6 cm including stand).
A striated green stone head or mask carved in the half-round with semi-naturalistic facial features, in the Olmec style; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
Provenance
with Throckmorton Fine Arts, 1990s.
Private collection, England.
Literature
See Coe, D., The Olmec World, Ritual and Rulership, The Princeton University, Harry Abrams, 1996, p. 250.
Footnotes
This fine maskette displays the classical features of Olmec Art. The eyes are feline and mouth slightly open, representing the snarl of the Jaguar, a revered animal to the ancient Olmec. This face likely depicts the ideal Olmec ruler rather than portrait of an individual and would have been made for important ceremony or individual of high rank.
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