Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero State, Mezcala culture, ca. 400 to 100 BCE. A beautiful anthropomorphic axe god figure, hand-carved and pecked from emerald-green diorite with grey, black, and beige inclusions. The delineated legs taper downward to stocky points, and a rectangular abdomen is flanked by slender arms. Planar shoulders support a massive head which presents diagonal eyes and an open mouth. The neck line, eyes, mouth, arm lines, and waist are all formed via the string-cutting technique, and the figure is meticulously polished to a lustrous sheen. Size: 1.75" W x 5.1" H (4.4 cm x 13 cm); 5.45" H (13.8 cm) on included custom stand.
The Mezcala sculptors brilliantly used string-saw technology to differentiate facial features and limbs. The ancient artisans of this region were particularly adept at reducing the human body to simple, eloquent forms via this string cut technique. The result ironically appeals to a modernist taste for minimalism. Mezcala sculptural works are equally appealing for the inherent beauty of the stone selected by the ancients.
For similar examples, please see: Gay, Carlo. MEZCALA: Ancient Stone Sculpture from Guerrero, Mexico. Balsas Publications, Geneva, Switzerland, 1992, pp. 193 - 199.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Cosby collection
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#141390
Condition
Light wear and deposits on surface commensurate with age. Old strip of adhesive on the back.