Pre-Columbian, Mexico City region, Aztec, ca. 1300 to 1500 CE. One of my favorites! An incredible volcanic stone statuette of an Eagle Warrior. The figure wears a headdress emulating an eagle head, with a smoothed, dramatic beak that juts out over the forehead, and with incised lines down its head and onto its cape that suggest feathers. The figure stands with its hands pressed together over its stomach and its legs touching on a pedestal. The details of the figure are delightful and realistic , especially the ties of the cape, the fingers on the hand, and the realistic features of the face. The eyes probably once had inlays of precious stone or metal. Size: 3.75" W x 10.25" H (9.5 cm x 26 cm)

Eagle warriors (cuauhtli) are the most famous and distinctive infantry unit in the Aztec army, composed of members of the social elite who had demonstrated great bravery and taken a great number of prisoners. Most famously depicted in the ceramic sculpture found at the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan and in the House of the Eagles and its distinctive hallway featuring reliefs showing them, these warriors continue to capture the popular imagination, and are often a symbol of Mexico.

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection authenticated by Andre Emmerich, in Los Angeles in 1975

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#128320

Feet and top of headdress are repaired. Nice detail remaining.