Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero region, Mezcala culture, ca. 200 BCE to 500 CE. An interesting architectural model of a temple facade, hand-carved from a dark-grey hardstone. Mezcala sculptural houses or temples began to intrigue collectors after the infamous ethnologist and art historian Miguel Covarrubias published a seminal paper on the subject. The horizontally grooved surface imbues a sense of depth to the carving, and a vertical perforation is centered on the body. Size: 2.5" W x 4.1" H (6.4 cm x 10.4 cm).
Stone models in the Mezcala style come largely from the present-day state of Guerrero, in southwest Mexico. A particularly long-lived tradition, these works may have been produced over some one thousand years, from as early as 500 BCE. Little is known about their archaeological contexts, and there are few points of reference with surviving architecture in the region. It is possible that these models emulate buildings with stone columns, such as those from Cuetlajuchitlan; alternatively they could recall above- or below-ground funerary structures, in which case the columns would represent wood supports of a tomb or a funerary pyre.
Provenance: ex-Merrin Gallery, New York, New York, USA
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#149888
Condition
Minor nicks and abrasions to obverse, peripheries, and verso, with light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits throughout.