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Home > Art > Mezcala Seated Figure

Mezcala Seated Figure

Artist

Unknown Artist

Date

300-100 BCE

Medium

Unidentified green stone

Object Type

Sculpture

Dimensions

H- 4 x W- 3 1/2 x D- 3 1/2 in. (10.2 x 8.9 x 8.9 cm)

Collecting Area

Pre-Columbian

Credit Line

The Jan T. and Marica Vilcek Collection

Accession Number

2001.04.1

Copyright

© The Vilcek Foundation

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figure Mezcala stone
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About the Object

This Mezcala figure carved from unidentified green stone was probably associated with fertility, maize, and rebirth and was probably included among other burial goods in the area’s well-known shaft tombs. The more naturalistic facial features probably help date this object to the later end of the tradition.

 

Additional Information

The “hunched back” feature of this figure may have been created to honor or “capture” the power of a particular person. Indeed, among most pre-colonial Mesoamerican societies physical differences were usually viewed with awe and respect for the individual.

T. Spratling Collection;
[Throckmorton Fine Art, New York, NY];

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figure Mezcala stone
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