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Rare Pre-Columbian Olmec/Olmecoid Figurine browse these categories for related items... Directory: Archives:Regional Art:Americas:Pre Columbian: Pre AD 1000: Item # 590668
Janus Antiquities By Appointment New Jersey (330) 612-3957 Guest Book SOLD |
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This powerful little creamware figure was created by the Olmec during the Early Formative period. The Olmec culture occupied the southern region of modern Mexico, although their influence on contemporary and later Central American cultures was much more widespread. They dominated this region from roughly 1200-400 B.C. Among their many accomplishments, the Olmec are credited with developing the first writing system in the Americas and may have independently grasped the concept of zero. Importantly, Olmec art had a vast influence on later Pre-Columbian art, which is particularly evident in the output of such sites and regions as Guerrero, Tlatilco, Tlapacoya, and Veracruz.
This pudgy female is sculpted with her hands on her large, distended belly. Much remnant red pigment remains in her mouth, ears, and on the back of her head. Like many Olmec sculptures, it is hard to isolate the age of the figure, which draws upon the physical aspects of both prepubescent childhood and old age. (See Benson's "The Olmec and their Neighbors: Essays in Memory of Mattew W. Stirling" pgs 163-180 for more on iconography of old women and young children.) For more Olmec figures, see Michael Coe's "The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership" and Benson et al.'s "Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico." AGE: Preclassic, 1200-900 B.C. CONDITION: Loss to the feet at the shins, which oftentimes are not rendered in detail. Left arm is restored, else intact and all original. A nice example with a custom stone stand. DIMENSIONS: 3" tall unmounted (7.62 cm) |
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