Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Veracruz region, Olmec, ca. 900 to 400 BCE. An incredible hand-carved basalt stone seated figure with the classic Olmec stylized visage: downturned lips, puffy cheeks, and narrow recessed eyes, that may have been inlaid or painted at one time. The artist carefully balanced his posterior and legs to sit upright when placed on a ledge - imagine him on a separate stone seat or pedestal overlooking his ancient setting! The bulging lips have the characteristic grimace or "jaguar" snarl that has been widely interpreted as either transformation into beast, ferocity, or a shamanic trance. This figure appears deep in contemplation, perfect to place on a shelf as a "thinker" lost in musings. Size: 5" L x 6" W x 9.5" H (12.7 cm x 15.2 cm x 24.1 cm); 9.75" H (24.8 cm) on included custom stand.

For a similar example of this seated figure, please see Museo Amparo website, registration number: 52 22 MA FA 57PJ 363.

The Olmec are the ancestors of all Mesoamerican civilizations, and elements of their artistic style was practiced in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico diffusing outward through extensive trade networks that stretched into northern Mexico and central America. The Olmec style became synonymous with elite status in the highlands. They created enormous stone heads, probably the first thing many of us think of when we remember the Olmec. While difficult to completely understand their belief system given that the Olmec were pre-literate, scholars theorize that the monumental stone heads, which can weigh up to forty tons, may have been erected to honor ancestors or rulers. The smaller figures such as this, example, are thought to represent totems or divinities, however, many of these portrayals are of children or infants, but their meaning remains a complete mystery. Based on a few known sculptures and the much later Maya practice of referring to young people as "ch'ok", referring to a maize sprout, there seems to have been a symbolic connection between children and the sprouting of the harvest. Roughly infant and toddler-sized figures like this one may also have been stand-ins for actual children who were ritually sacrificed to bring on that harvest.

Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010

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#173406

Minor abrasions to verso of head and natural surface pitting. Some softening to details due to exposure, but overall excellent and choice!