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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.
Provenancewith Throckmorton Fine Arts, 1990s.
Private collection, England.
See Coe, D., The Olmec World, Ritual and Rulership, The Princeton University, Harry Abrams, 1996, p. 250.
FootnotesThis 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.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Pre-Columbian Chancay Decorated Bowl
9th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Squat with rounded underside and slightly everted rim, opposed lugs to the rim, band of painted crosshatching beneath the rim and rectangles with arrowheads beneath. 186 grams, 12.1 cm
Acquired in the 1970s. Ex Nicolas Cuppy, UK. Acquired in the 1980s. Property of a Cambridgeshire gentleman. -
Prehispanic Olmec Jade Mask
900-400 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
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. 557 grams total, 17.6 cm including stand
with Throckmorton Fine Arts, 1990s. Private collection, England.
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. -
Mesoamerican Costa Rican Jadeite Ceremonial Jaguar Mace Head
100-500 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Dual profile animal-head mace head with drilled eye and teeth exposed; hole close the edge for suspension; mounted on a custom-made stand. 209 grams total, 11 cm including stand
Acquired in the 1990s. Private collection, England.
These mace heads were sculpted with great care and likely produced for high ranking members of society. Often zoomorphic in form, this example is particularly notable for its dual aspect with a monkey face on one side contrasted with a more human skull appearance on the other. A fine and interesting example with great expression and design.
