Pre-Columbian, Central Mexico, Teotihuacan, ca. 200 to 600 CE. A beautiful maskette of an angular form characteristic of Teotihuacan, finely carved from a stone of tawny almond-brown hues, from the sacred city of Teotihuacan ("the place were the gods were created"). The sculptor's attention to detail is impressive. It is easy to appreciate those strong facial features, including that dramatic overhanging browline, protruding aquiline nose carved in high relief, open mouth suggesting speech, song, or chanting, and pointed chin. In addition to the beautiful visage is the mesmerizing swirled patterns of the stone. Custom stand. Size: 3.375" W x 3.875" H (8.6 cm x 9.8 cm); 6.125" H (15.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Teotihuacan was at one time the largest city in the Pre-Columbian world, famous for its pyramids (Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon) as well as the Great Compound with the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (also known as the Temple of the Plumed Serpent) punctuating the Avenue of the Dead. Stone masks are perhaps the best known works of Teotihuacan art. According to scholars, they are believed to have been part of funerary furniture; however, no masks have been found in burial chambers. Instead, archaeologists have discovered them in the vicinity of temples and complexes along the Avenue of the Dead. Some speculate that they may have been attached to wooden armatures in temples to represent deities on their journey to achieving god-hood.

Provenance: private collection of the late Peter Arnovick, San Francisco, California, USA

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#125101

Loss to peripheries of left side (missing perforation) and upper right corner. Minor surface wear and surface shows earthen encrustation. Inventory labels on verso.