**Originally Listed At $6000**

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico, Guerrero region, Chontal culture, ca. 600 to 300 BCE. An exemplary abstract anthropomorphic figure of the rare M20 type that is hand-carved from mottled green-hued andesite. The majestic figure presents standing atop delineated, string-cut legs, holding both bent arms atop the abdomen with hands nearly touching, and with deep grooves above that define the chest and arms. Additional string-cut grooves and drilled eyes comprise the minimalist visage, all framed by tall, tab-shaped ears, while a peaked cap rests low on the forehead. Size: 4.2" W x 13.8" H (10.7 cm x 35.1 cm); 14" H (35.6 cm) on included custom stand.

On the topic regarding the rarity of Type M20 figures, scholars Carlo Gay and Frances Pratt explain: "As there are few standing figures of the M-20 type … the duration of the cultural intercourse between the Mezcala and the Chontal traditions appears to have been relatively short -- certainly not long enough for the development of a wider range of hybrid subjects which, at this stage of both traditions, should also include seated figures. M-20 figures account for less than 5 percent of the total number of human representations." (Gay, Carlo and Frances Pratt. "Mezcala: Ancient Stone Sculpture from Guerrero Mexico." Balsas Publications, Geneva, 1992, p. 85)

The Guerrero region is located in present-day southwestern Mexico, and it was the epicenter of both the Mezcala and Chontal stone carving traditions. Whereas, the Mezcala sculptors emphasized geometric abstraction in both anthropomorphic figures as well as architectural models, the Chontal sculptors imbued their works with a degree of naturalism. We know that this lapidary tradition dated to the Preclassic period, and that later Mesoamerican peoples coveted portable stone figures like this example as heirlooms. Archaeologists have excavated numerous pieces in ritual caches at the Templo Mayor, the main temple of the Aztecs of Tenochititlan, for example. What's more, centuries later, many Mexican Modernists including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and artist/anthropologist Miguel Covarrubias were drawn to their minimalistic qualities. Interestingly, Covarrubias compared them to the monumental and serene style of Cycladic art in ancient Greece.

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

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#175006

Possible professional repair and restoration to outside of proper left leg, but difficult to discern and nearly invisible if present. Minor abrasions, nicks, and pitting commensurate with age, otherwise in choice condition. Beautiful preservation to detailing for a figure of this size!