Mexico, Aztec
1470–1521 AD
Stone
Height: 10½ in (26.7 cm), Width: 8¼ in (21 cm)
Provenance: London Trade
Skull friezes, known as tzompantli, were a standard architectural element in Aztec temple complexes, most famously documented at the Great Temple (Templo Mayor) in Tenochtitlan. Stone relief skulls were set into platform walls and temple bases as representations of the sacrificial dead, serving both as cosmological statements about the cycle of life, death, and regeneration and as public displays of ritual power. The period 1470–1521 represents the height of Aztec imperial expansion and the most intensive phase of monumental construction at Tenochtitlan and affiliated centers.
This stone element is carved in low to medium relief with a frontal skull face, hollow eye sockets, nasal cavity, and open jaw rendered with the directness characteristic of Aztec architectural carving programs. The surrounding stone retains the rough texture of the original matrix, consistent with an element cut from a larger frieze or platform face. The London Trade provenance places this piece within the established European market for Pre-Columbian architectural material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Mexico, Aztec
1470–1521 AD
Stone
Height: 10½ in (26.7 cm), Width: 8¼ in (21 cm)
Provenance: London Trade
Skull friezes, known as tzompantli, were a standard architectural element in Aztec temple complexes, most famously documented at the Great Temple (Templo Mayor) in Tenochtitlan. Stone relief skulls were set into platform walls and temple bases as representations of the sacrificial dead, serving both as cosmological statements about the cycle of life, death, and regeneration and as public displays of ritual power. The period 1470–1521 represents the height of Aztec imperial expansion and the most intensive phase of monumental construction at Tenochtitlan and affiliated centers.
This stone element is carved in low to medium relief with a frontal skull face, hollow eye sockets, nasal cavity, and open jaw rendered with the directness characteristic of Aztec architectural carving programs. The surrounding stone retains the rough texture of the original matrix, consistent with an element cut from a larger frieze or platform face. The London Trade provenance places this piece within the established European market for Pre-Columbian architectural material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
