Pre-Columbian, Central Mexico, Guerrero region, Guerrero Chontal, Late Preclassic Period, ca. 300 to 100 BCE. A finely-sculpted maskette with a concave verso, hand-carved from a greenstone of mottled sage, moss, and forest green hues with beige inclusions. The stylized visage presents with pouty lips, a slightly-crooked nose with drilled nostrils, rounded cheeks, thin bar-shaped ears, recessed eyes beneath heavy brows, and a smooth forehead. The Guerrero region of modern-day southwestern Mexico was the center of the Chontal stone carving tradition. Chontal sculptors imbued their artworks with a greater sense of naturalism than to their Mezcala counterparts, though they still adhered to a minimalist aesthetic when creating anthropomorphic pieces. A fine example of the Chontal sculpting tradition! Size: 3.8" W x 4.3" H (9.7 cm x 10.9 cm); 6.7" H (17 cm) on included custom stand.

While Mezcala artists are known for their abstract, geometric style, the Chontal sculptors imbued their artworks with more naturalism. Although their stonework stems from the Preclassic period, ca. 300 to 100 BCE, later Mesoamerican peoples clearly cherished Chontal portable sculptures as heirlooms. Chontal creations have been unearthed in ritual caches at Templo Mayor, the principal temple of the fifteenth-century Aztecs of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). What's more, legendary 20th century modernists such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Miguel Covarrubias appreciated the minimalist qualities of Chontal art. Covarrubias went so far as to compare it to the Cycladic style of ancient Greece.

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#172973

Minor losses to periphery of proper right ear. Some small areas of chipping on peripheries, as well as expected surface wear with nicks, abrasions, and softening of detail, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact with light earthen deposits.