**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. An endearing countenance from Mesoamerican antiquity, a hand-built stucco portrait of a woman, perhaps of royal or upper-class lineage. Her feminine features include bulging eyes framed by generous lids, a prominent nose that extends up past her eyebrows, parted lips with a delineated philtrum, and revealed teeth positioned as if she were caught speaking mid-sentence. Her cheeks, eyes, and lips are adorned with vibrant red pigment while her headdress above displays remains of both red and orange pigment. Size: 7.5" L x 7" W x 13" H (19 cm x 17.8 cm x 33 cm); 17.1" H (43.4 cm) on included custom stand.

Modeled stucco, made from a lime-based plaster, was one of the major artistic innovations of pre-Columbian Mexico and Central America. Mayan cities were covered in stucco, from architectural features like this head to floors, wall coatings, and free-standing sculptures. However, stucco was also relatively fragile, and after the downfall of the Mayan civilization, stucco artwork was often the first to degrade in the elements - meaning that finds like this one are rare.

Cf. The Walters Art Museum, accession number 2009.20.26

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired from 2000 to 2010; ex-Alan Stone collection, New York, New York, USA

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#184658

Fragment of a larger stucco composition as shown with losses around peripheries and verso. Surface restoration in several areas scattered across the face, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material. Pitting and fading to pigment, with minor softening to facial features, and earthen deposits within some recessed areas, otherwise in great condition. Great preservation to features given the size.