**Originally Listed At $1500**

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico, Guerrero region, Mezcala culture, ca. 400 to 100 BCE. A large and pretty example of a hand-carved omphacite jade axe god of the Type M-22 style that presents with abstract anthropomorphic features. The stylized figure stands with delineated, string-cut legs and holds both arms atop the waist. A rounded chest with angular shoulders and a broad neck supports the oversized, bulbous head. The minimalist visage exhibits string-cut grooves denoting the eyes and brows, nasolabial folds, and mouth. Two notches below the bulging forehead, add the appearance of ears as well. The stone is a smooth mottled green-gray hue with faint beige veining. This sizable statue may have taken hours and hours to carve this attractive figure. Size: 3.3" L x 0.675" W x 6.875" H (8.4 cm x 1.7 cm x 17.5 cm); 9" H (22.9 cm) on included custom stand.

This particular Mezcala axe god exhibits features characteristic of M-22/M-24 Mezcala figures. The Mezcala style underwent a gradual evolutionary process, and M-22/M-24 were among the most advanced of the Mezcala types. The Mezcala sculptors brilliantly used string-saw technology to differentiate facial features and limbs. The ancient artisans of this region were particularly adept at reducing the human body to eloquent, minimalist forms via this string cut technique. The result ironically appeals to a modernist taste for minimalism. Mezcala sculptural works are equally appealing for the inherent beauty of the stone selected by the ancients.

For a couple of stylistically similar examples of the M-22 type, please see: Gay, Carlo and Frances Pratt. "Mezcala: Ancient Stone Sculpture from Guerrero Mexico." Balsas Publications, Geneva, 1992, p. 89, plate 74 and p. 91, plate 76.

Provenance: ex-Barakat Gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, acquired prior to 2000

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#164626

Chips and abrasion to top of head. Light mineral and earthen deposits on surface. Polished surface and nice coloration.