** A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this artwork will be donated to the Anthony Quinn Foundation, whose mission is to advocate for the important role arts education plays in personal development and in the overall improvement of social, economic and cultural systems. Learn more at aqfoundation.org **

Pre-Columbian, southern Mexico, Guerrero region, Mezcala culture, late Preclassic period, ca. 600 to 200 BCE. A wonderful and sizable example of a stone mask that is hand-carved from mottled green-gray stone with beige, khaki, citrine, forest, and pistachio hues. The bulky, spade-shaped vizard exhibits a pair of broad, string-cut grooves delineating the mouth and both eyes, a columnar nose, and a pair of tab-shaped ears, all beneath a plateaued brow. Faint remains of red-orange pigment outline the right eye, both eyebrows and ears, and the mouth, while remains of light blue-green pigment encircles the proper left eye. A partially drilled suspension hole is situated on the back of the head. An intriguing and uniquely colorful mask from ancient Guerrero! Size: 5.5" W x 6.75" H (14 cm x 17.1 cm)

Greenstone was more valuable than gold in Mesoamerica, and this would have been a valuable item, perhaps buried with its owner - likely an important person - to mark their passing and give them identity in the grave. Gay and Pratt also suggest that they may have something to do with the Mezcala lunar religion - perhaps they helped provide safe passage to the netherworld, which seems to have been located on the Moon. Because they are found in tombs, many researchers believe that they have something to do with the dead: their spirits, or a type of death mask. Outside the grave, the dead were sometimes represented in art merely by a mask, or a mask set upon a small pyramid. Masks from this place and period are on display in many museums, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museo de America in Madrid, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum.

Provenance: ex-private collection of actor Anthony Quinn and his wife Katherine, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA acquired prior to 2000

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#169213

Repair to proper left ear and side of face, with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Abrasions and softening to finer details as expected commensurate with age, with fading to pigment across face, and minor pitting in scattered areas. Great preservation to overall form and light remains of pigment on face. Modern putty material on verso for attaching and stabilizing a wire suspension loop. Old inventory label written in black on white pigment atop modern putty material on verso.