Lot 171
  • 171

A Mezcala stone seated figure Late Preclassic, ca. 300-100 B.C.

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description

distinguished by long legs and uplifted head, arms carved in relief hugging the side of the body, with small ears; in bright speckled green and white porphyrg.

Provenance

Edward Merrin Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above, 1978

Catalogue Note

The seated figures of Mezcala and Chontal are a distinct category that were adapted from river cobbles and never from the axe form. They appear in three general postures, of which the upward tilted head, referred to as the star-gazer type, is found on three figures in this collection.
This figure, of the M16 type, is closely related to the Chontal variety. See Gay and Pratt (1992: pl. 104) and Gay and Gay (2001: pl. 62) for the type.