Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec, ca. 900 to 500 BCE. A nicely modeled head from an Olmec figure belonging to a Mesoamerican tradition that flourished during the first millenium BCE. The visage boasts hallmark characteristics of Olmec visual culture including a downturned mouth, slitted eyes, partially pierced ears, and a generally oversized head with side-parted coiffure that appears to show signs of cranial deformation indicative of the custom of shaping infants' heads. A wonderful example, still showing remains of cream-hued slip from the Olmec, indeed the first Mesoamerican civilization that most regard as the forerunner of subsequent ancient American cultures such as the Maya and Aztecs! Custom, museum-quality stand. Size: head measures 2" W x 2.375" H (5.1 cm x 6 cm); 3.5" H (8.9 cm) on stand

Provenance: Ex-Adeon Gallery, Chicago, IL, acquired prior to 1970.

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#102520

A fragment but oh what a fragment. Expected surface wear as shown, but a marvelous example.