Pre-Columbian, Central Mexico, Maya or Teotihuacan, ca. 4th to 7th century CE. A superb hand-carved greenstone standing male figure wearing a skirt, cylindrical headdress, and holding an infant before him. The man gazes forward with incised eyes and pierced ears, the bundled child also displays simple but conventional features. This statue may have been an altar or burial offering - symbolic of life and perhaps family lineage or fertility. The naturalistic features are notable, perhaps influenced by the earlier Olmec Pre-Classic Period. Size: 2" W x 4.25" H (5.1 cm x 10.8 cm); 5.25" H (13.3 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 (aka Temple of the Plumed Serpent) punctuating the Avenue of the Dead. Stone figures were often with idealized features (rather than individual depictions) and calm expressions, with simple lines used economically in order to create powerful effigies without an overuse of detail.
Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010
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#174967
Condition
Old loss to leg and left ear as shown. Some minor surface wear, otherwise details are sharp and discernable. Light mineral deposits on surface.