Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec, ca. 1100 to 500 BCE. A mesmerizing maskette carved from a beautiful jade of rich emerald and seafoam green hues created by the Olmec, the oldest major civilization in Mexico, expertly worked with graceful, subtle contours and signature Olmec traits including a jowly face, downturned jaguar mouth, and slanted eyes. The head appears artificially shaped, a sign of high status due to cranial deformation, as the Olmec traditionally wore tight-fitting helmets, with a bifurcated coiffure. His phalanged ears are pierced at the upper end for suspension or attachment. Custom stand. Size: 1.625" W x 2" H (4.1 cm x 5.1 cm); 3.375" H (8.6 cm)

The attention to detail on this piece is quite impressive. Note the expressive lips and cleft palette of the jaguar mouth, the full nose with pierced nostrils, the stylized elliptical-shaped eyes, and the partially drilled circular motifs at the corners of the mouth, under the lower lip, and just above the upper lip. 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.

Provenance: private California, USA collection acquired over fifteen years ago

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#122914

Choice. Nice red cinnabar remains in recesses. What appears to be a fissure on one side of the head is just inherent to the stone.