Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala style
400 BC–100 AD
Dark greenstone with mineral inclusions
Height: 5½ in (14 cm)
Provenance: Parke-Bernet, Lot 33, December 1972; Private Collection, Honolulu, Hawaii; The Lands Beyond, New York, November 2013
Mezcala figures from the Guerrero region of western Mexico represent a sustained tradition of abstract stone carving in which the human form is reduced to essential geometric volumes. The tradition spans several centuries and encompasses a range of stone types, with dark green metamorphic stones among the most valued for their density, color, and capacity for fine surface work. The Parke-Bernet auction provenance from 1972 places this figure within the earliest documented period of institutional market activity for Mezcala material in the United States.
This figure is carved from a block of dark green stone with natural mineral inclusions visible across the surface, lending the material a distinctive visual depth consistent with stones from the Balsas River region. The form follows the characteristic Mezcala program of helmet-like head, incised facial features, indicated arms in low relief, and a compact rectangular torso. At 5½ inches, this is a substantial example of the type, larger than the majority of surviving Mezcala figures in private collections.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala style
400 BC–100 AD
Dark greenstone with mineral inclusions
Height: 5½ in (14 cm)
Provenance: Parke-Bernet, Lot 33, December 1972; Private Collection, Honolulu, Hawaii; The Lands Beyond, New York, November 2013
Mezcala figures from the Guerrero region of western Mexico represent a sustained tradition of abstract stone carving in which the human form is reduced to essential geometric volumes. The tradition spans several centuries and encompasses a range of stone types, with dark green metamorphic stones among the most valued for their density, color, and capacity for fine surface work. The Parke-Bernet auction provenance from 1972 places this figure within the earliest documented period of institutional market activity for Mezcala material in the United States.
This figure is carved from a block of dark green stone with natural mineral inclusions visible across the surface, lending the material a distinctive visual depth consistent with stones from the Balsas River region. The form follows the characteristic Mezcala program of helmet-like head, incised facial features, indicated arms in low relief, and a compact rectangular torso. At 5½ inches, this is a substantial example of the type, larger than the majority of surviving Mezcala figures in private collections.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
