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THBOlmec Greenstone Standing Hunchback Pendant
Lot 5b
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$2,400 - $3,600
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| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
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| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
May 10, 2018
Set Reminder
2018-05-10 10:00:00
2018-05-10 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Fine Ethnographic / Asian / Ancient Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-ethnographic-asian-ancient-art-3213
Featuring antiquities from around the world including Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Classical, Asian, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring antiquities from around the world including Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Classical, Asian, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (407)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec culture, ca. 1500 BCE. A fabulous Olmec hunchback figural pendant, hand-carved from a mottled pale-green stone with brown and beige inclusions, standing atop a pair of attenuated legs. The torso is characteristically misshapen, with a protruding chest, slender shoulders, arms bent at the elbow, and a dramatically hunched back extending skyward from its neck. The expressive countenance is derived from recessed ovoid eyes, a petite triangular nose, open mouth with full lips, and furrowed brow, all atop a slightly-elongated skull, perhaps as a result of ritualistic cranial deformation. A biconically-drilled perforation through the back hump allows for suspension. Beautiful and enigmatic, this pendant is an exemplary piece of Olmec stone-work! Custom museum-quality display stand included. Size: 0.7" W x 2.375" H (1.8 cm x 6 cm); 3.25" H (8.3 cm) on included custom stand.
The piece was made by string cutting, drilling, and using sandstone as an abrasive. Olmec artisans employed long-distance trade routes through Mexico and Central America to acquire greenstone like this, going so far as Eastern Guatemala over three hundred miles from their homeland. In short, the covetous tendencies the Olmecs exhibited towards greenstone speaks volumes regarding its perceived value within their society. Green stones like this seem to have been associated with water, vegetation, and young corn, the staple food of Olmec life. Based on burial practices, particularly the objects from important burials at La Venta in the present day Mexican state of Tabasco, we believe that greenstone was reserved for high nobility, royalty, and the gods.
Provenance: private, Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#132576Surface wear commensurate with age, small nicks and losses to mouth, feet, top of head, and verso, some fading to carved details, and scattered areas of light roughness, otherwise excellent. Light earthen and mineral deposits throughout. Old inventory number written in black beneath posterior.Condition
- Shipping Info
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