Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero region, Mezcala, ca. 500 to 200 BCE. A wonderful face pendant of a substantial size, hand-carved from mottled forest-green jadeite with beige, white, and black inclusions. The pendant exhibits a rough ovoid form with the face in portrait looking to the right. Meticulous string-cutting techniques form the overall guise with a singular ovoid eye, a bulbous nose, full lips surrounding a gaping mouth, and fine cheek contours, all framed beneath a plateaued forehead and a conical helmet. A pair of drilled suspension holes is situated along the back of the helmet and enables the carving to be worn as a pendant. Mezcala pendants are typically presented as fully-formed figures; so, an example of an enlarged head like this is exceedingly rare! Size: 2.8" W x 4.75" H (7.1 cm x 12.1 cm); 5.95" H (15.1 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.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Drimmer collection, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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#144574
Condition
Minor nicks and abrasions to helmet, nose, lips, and peripheries, with light encrustations within some recessed areas, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout. Old inventory label on verso.