Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero region, Chontal, ca. 800 to 300 BCE. A diminutive figure, skillfully carved from a smooth stone in pistachio, wheat, and cream hues, showing very strong Olmec characteristics, but is clearly of Chontal origin from the Guerrero region. Depicted from the thighs up with finely delineated arms which are bent at the elbow and held at the abdominal area, rounded shoulders, and bold facial features such as almond-shaped eyes, bulbous nose, sprouting ears, and thin lips. Two holes have been drilled into either side of the neck and a third in the back, and two additional holes are visible on the bottom of each thigh. Custom museum-quality stand included. Size: 0.625" L x 1.3" W x 2.25" H (1.6 cm x 3.3 cm x 5.7 cm); 3" H (7.6 cm) on stand.

The Guerrero region of modern-day southwestern Mexico was the center of the Mezcala and Chontal stone carving traditions. 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 principle 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: private La Jolla, California, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#123294

Surface wear commensurate with age, minor repair to one hand, a couple of stable hairline fissures, and earthen deposits inside drilled holes.