Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala style
400 BC–100 AD
Greenstone
Height: 3¼ in (8.3 cm)
Provenance: Alain Schoffel, Brussels; Private Paris collection
This Mezcala style greenstone figure reflects the highly abstract stone carving tradition of ancient western Mexico, centered in the Balsas River region of Guerrero. Unlike the colorful ceramic figures associated with West Mexican tomb cultures, Mezcala sculpture reduces the human form to a compact geometric presence, with no clear indication of rank, dress, jewelry, or social identity. Objects of this type were associated with burial contexts and were later valued by the Mexica, who deposited earlier Mezcala works as offerings at the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan.
The sculptor worked from a small block of hard greenstone, using minimal cutting and incision to define the head, facial features, torso, arms, and separated legs. The flat back, projecting facial profile, and compact vertical shape give the object an axe-like form consistent with other Mezcala figures not designed to stand unaided. The Brussels and Paris provenance places this piece within a distinguished European collecting context for Pre-Columbian material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala style
400 BC–100 AD
Greenstone
Height: 3¼ in (8.3 cm)
Provenance: Alain Schoffel, Brussels; Private Paris collection
This Mezcala style greenstone figure reflects the highly abstract stone carving tradition of ancient western Mexico, centered in the Balsas River region of Guerrero. Unlike the colorful ceramic figures associated with West Mexican tomb cultures, Mezcala sculpture reduces the human form to a compact geometric presence, with no clear indication of rank, dress, jewelry, or social identity. Objects of this type were associated with burial contexts and were later valued by the Mexica, who deposited earlier Mezcala works as offerings at the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan.
The sculptor worked from a small block of hard greenstone, using minimal cutting and incision to define the head, facial features, torso, arms, and separated legs. The flat back, projecting facial profile, and compact vertical shape give the object an axe-like form consistent with other Mezcala figures not designed to stand unaided. The Brussels and Paris provenance places this piece within a distinguished European collecting context for Pre-Columbian material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
