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Home > Art > Mezcala-Chontal Standing Figure

Mezcala-Chontal Standing Figure

Small abstract stone figure with indented facial features features, a large pointed nose, and arms resting on its mid-section.
Artist

Unknown Artist

Date

1800-1200 BCE

Medium

Unidentified mottled green stone

Object Type

Sculpture

Dimensions

H- 11 x W- 4 1/2 x D- 2 3/4 in. (H 27.9 x W 11.4 x D 7 cm)

Collecting Area

Pre-Columbian

Credit Line

The Vilcek Foundation

Accession Number

2003.05.1

Copyright

© The Vilcek Foundation

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Chontal figure mexico Mezcala-Chontal stone
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Small abstract stone figure with indented facial features features, a large pointed nose, and arms resting on its mid-section.

About the Object

Relatively large and intricately worked, the standing figure seen here reflects many elements of the Mezcala-Chontal tradition fused together in a masterfully created piece. For example, the “coffee bean” eyes, prominent eyebrows, “hairline,” hollowed-out arms, and defined body are all expertly worked. These elements likely place the piece’s creation toward the later period of the tradition, according to the analysis of Mezcala experts such as Carlos Gay.

 

Additional Information

This standing figure represents a transition period when earlier abstract features more associated with the Mezcala tradition were becoming more naturalistic, as in the Chontal tradition. While many Mezcala-Chontal figures were fashioned from earlier stone axes or blades, this particular object was likely too large to have functioned in that manner and therefore probably had more ritual importance.

Reinhard Kistermann Collection, Caracas, Venezuela, 1969-2003;
The Jan T. and Marica Vilcek Collection, 2003-2010;
Gift to The Vilcek Foundation, 2010;

Curnoe, Jessica, Gillett G. Griffin, and Peter T. Furst. Sculpture and Cosmology in Ancient Guerrero. New York, NY: Throckmorton Fine Art, 2008, ill. fig. 35.

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Chontal figure mexico Mezcala-Chontal stone
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