Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero region, Chontal, Middle phase, ca. 500 to 100 BCE. A fabulous anthropomorphic face mask of a substantial form, hand-carved from mottled sage-green stone with dark-green and beige inclusions. The minimalist composition is defined by puffy, string-cut eyes beneath slender eye brows, a tall rectangular nose, pouty lips, deep nasolabial folds, and a wide forehead surmounted with a smooth groove. The surfaces of the mask are polished to a smooth texture which is pleasing to the touch, and a biconically-drilled suspension hole is centered atop the forehead. Size: 6.75" W x 6.625" H (17.1 cm x 16.8 cm); 9.6" H (24.4 cm) on included custom 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 15th 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. Scholars believe that such masks as this example were tied to funerary bundles of the noble elite; however, smaller scale masks suggest they may have been attached to clothing.
Provenance: ex-Roberto Austin collection; ex-Claude Cassuto collection, France, acquired before 1969
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#144513
Condition
Repair to right side of face with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Minor chips and abrasions to facial features, peripheries, and verso, with light encrustations, and softening to some facial details. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Old inventory label on verso.