Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Mixtec culture, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A fascinating example of a face maskette pendant that is hand-carved from bone, perhaps from a cow or that of another ungulate. The captivating face presents with wide, rectangular eye sockets above an openwork nose, a broad mouth with rounded corners, tab-shaped ears, a prominent chin, and a brow with petite lateral perforations. Incised across the face are intricate curvilinear motifs that imbue the countenance with an almost feline or zoomorphic presentation. Maskette pendants like this example were perhaps suspended from necklaces as imagery depicting one's slain enemies. Size: 2.7" W x 3.6" H (6.9 cm x 9.1 cm); 3.9" H (9.9 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, USA, May 20th, 2021, Ancient & Ethnographic From Around the World auction, lot 201; ex-private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-Dr. David Harner collection, Springdale, Arkansas, USA, acquired between the 1950s and 1960s

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#170735

Repaired from a few large pieces with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Loss to 1 nostril. Small chips along obverse and peripheries, with age-commensurate ossification. Nice patina across surfaces. Old inventory number "ME 2285" written in black ink on verso of brow.