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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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Pre-Columbian Stone Taino Transforming Zemi Figure
Circa 1500 A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £910
Large carved hardstone model of a crouching figure with elbows resting on the knees and hands supporting the chin; the head modelled as a skull with exposed teeth, drilled eye-sockets and triangular nasal cavity; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 6 kg total, 34.3 cm high including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The population of the Taino people of the Dominican Republic and surrounding Caribbean islands may have been as high as 2 million by the 15th century. The Zemi, a spiritual figure forms a major part of their existing legacy and examples exist in many sizes including depictions in wood and stone. -
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Pre-Columbian Mexican Michoacan Standing Figure
300-100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Modelled in the half-round as a nude female, wearing arm bangles and an ornamental collar; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 527 grams total, 23 cm high including stand
Ex Alan Cherry, Bournemouth, UK. Acquired in the 1990s. From a Norfolk, UK, private collection.
This is a large example of the figurines of ancient Michoacan. These sculptures were made in abundance during the pre classic period and were likely crafted for personal use as votive figures. As with this example, these sculptures are renowned for showing details of necklaces and other adornment of the period. -
Pre-Columbian Grooved Stone Ritual Object
Circa 3rd millennium B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £221
Ellipsoid plaque with deeply incised vertical and horizontal grooves, mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.10 kg total, 25.2 cm high including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
This work, abstract in appearance with deep grooves cutting across what appears to be a face is most aligned with the arts of ancient Guerrero or specifically the Mezcala. In the late pre classic an array of stone carved figures and masks were produced often with minimal adornment and a clear preference for simple lines and forms.
