Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec, ca. 1000 to 400 BCE. An exquisite maskette or face panel carved from a beautiful blue-green jadeite stone by an artisan of the Olmec culture, the oldest major civilization in Mexico. The piece is expertly worked with graceful, subtle contours and displays signature Olmec traits including a jowly face, elegant straight nose, downturned jaguar mouth, square jaw, rounded chin, puffy eyelids, and slanted eyes. The blending of both lifelike relatively naturalistic and contrasting abstract representation in this piece is simply mesmerizing. The head is pear-shaped, a sign of high status most likely due to an artificial cranial deformation, as the Olmec traditionally wore tight-fitting helmets. Perforations were made through the ears to suspend ornaments that would have further embellished the personage. To the Olmecs, masks and maskettes like this example carried many meanings, not all of which are obvious to us today; however, scholars surmise that the color green was associated with vibrant growth, renewal, and given the cyclical conception of life and death, rejuvenation after death. In addition, notice that the fleshy, bilaterally symmetrical lips are slightly open so as to reveal the toothless gums of a youthful person, and there is a raised cleft each side of the lower lip. According to scholars, this was the Olmec symbol for corn or maize, which was a crop of such sublime significance to ancient Mexico that it took on religious import from a very early date. A remarkable example, impressive for the artisan's adept carving technique, an indisputable penchant for refined artistry, the inherent beauty of this stone, and the meaningful iconography of the form. Bilaterally perforated at the forehead for suspension or attachment. Clearly of museum-quality. Size: 1.5" deep x 2.25" W x 2.625" H (3.8 cm x 5.7 cm x 6.7 cm)

Similar examples may be found in the most esteemed museum collections of the world. Follow this link for a comparable piece at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (See http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1977.187.33/)

Provenance: Ex - private LA County collection acquired before 1990

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.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#116293

Intact and choice. Any surface fissures are inherent to the stone.