Olmec Mottled Stone Mask - CK.0599,Origin: Mexico,Circa: 900 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 7.25" (18.4cm) high x 7" (17.8cm) wide x 3.5" (8.9cm) depth,Collection:  More »

Olmec Mottled Stone Mask - CK.0599,Origin: Mexico,Circa: 900 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 7.25" (18.4cm) high x 7" (17.8cm) wide x 3.5" (8.9cm) depth,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Olmec,Medium: Stone.   « Less

Olmec Stone Mask - CK.0615,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 8.25" (21.0cm) high x 6.25" (15.9cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Olmec,Medium:  More »

Olmec Stone Mask - CK.0615,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 8.25" (21.0cm) high x 6.25" (15.9cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Olmec,Medium: Stone.   « Less

Olmec Jade Maskette - CK.0716,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 900 BC,Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 3.5" (8.9cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Olmec,Medium:  More »

Olmec Jade Maskette - CK.0716,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 900 BC,Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 3.5" (8.9cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Olmec,Medium: Jade.   « Less

Olmec Jade Maskette - CK.0737,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 4.25" (10.8cm) high x 3.875" (9.8cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style:  More »

Olmec Jade Maskette - CK.0737,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 4.25" (10.8cm) high x 3.875" (9.8cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Olmec,Medium: Jade.   « Less

Olmec Jade Maskette - CK.0759,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 2.5" (6.4cm) high x 2.5" (6.4cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: OlmecMedium:  More »

Olmec Jade Maskette - CK.0759,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 2.5" (6.4cm) high x 2.5" (6.4cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: OlmecMedium: Jade.   « Less

Olmec Stone Maskette - CK.0760,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 2.5" (6.4cm) high x 2.5" (6.4cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Olmec,Medium:  More »

Olmec Stone Maskette - CK.0760,Origin: Mesoamerica,Circa: 1200 BC to 500 BC,Dimensions: 2.5" (6.4cm) high x 2.5" (6.4cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Olmec,Medium: Stone. The Olmecs are generally considered to be the ultimate ancestor of all subsequent Mesoamerican civilisations. Thriving between about 1200 and 400 BC, their base was the tropical lowlands of south central Mexico, an area characterized by swamps punctuated by low hill ridges and volcanoes. Here the Olmecs practiced advanced farming techniques and constructed many permanent settlements. Their influence, both cultural and political, extended far beyond their boundaries; the exotic nature of Olmec designs became synonymous with elite status in other (predominantly highland) groups, with evidence for exchange of artefacts in both directions. Other than their art (see below), they are credited with the foundations of writing systems (the loosely defined Epi-Olmec period, c. 500 BC), the first use of the zero – so instrumental in the Maya long count vigesimal calendrical system – and they also appear to have been the originators of the famous Mesoamerican ballgame so prevalent among later cultures in the region.   « Less

Chupicuaro Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.0439,Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico,Circa: 500 BC to 100 BC,Dimensions: 2.125" (5.4cm) high x 1" (2.5cm) wide,Collection:  More »

Chupicuaro Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.0439,Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico,Circa: 500 BC to 100 BC,Dimensions: 2.125" (5.4cm) high x 1" (2.5cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Chupicuaro,Medium: Terracotta. The remains of a once vibrant culture are now submerged under a lake. Fortunately excavations in the 1940's on the Chupicuaro site were able to uncover sufficient artifacts to give us an idea of an intriguing people who flourished there centuries ago. One of the most endearing of the clay objects are the small female figures, or "pretty ladies." They show a naked female with short arms, extended stomach and a fancy coiffure or headdress. This very delightful figure has very wide eyes, her mouth is open, and she wears an attractive headband. What at first seems to be her tongue is probably something she is placing into her mouth. She may be a fertility figure interred with the deceased to ensure continuity of 'life' in the afterlife. What is most striking to the viewer is the feeling of happiness and joy she exudes; undiminished after being buried for so long.   « Less

Chupicuaro Sculpture of a Female Ballplayer - PF.0625,Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico,Circa: 350 BC to 250 BC,Dimensions: 3.625" (9.2cm) high x 1.875" (4.8cm) wide,Collection:  More »

Chupicuaro Sculpture of a Female Ballplayer - PF.0625,Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico,Circa: 350 BC to 250 BC,Dimensions: 3.625" (9.2cm) high x 1.875" (4.8cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Chupicuaro,Medium: Terracotta. We should not be fooled by the delicate appearance of this Mesoamerican beauty with her coffee-bean eyes. The deflector on her arm and the weights on her feet suggest she is a player in the ballgame, a rough and grueling event. This somehow takes us by surprise--we expect these primitive female figures to be either mothers or goddesses. It is as if Venus herself had decided to become an athlete.   « Less

Chupicuaro Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.0626,Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico,Circa: 350 BC to 250 BC,Dimensions: 3.5" (8.9cm) high x 1.875" (4.8cm) wide,Collection:  More »

Chupicuaro Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.0626,Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico,Circa: 350 BC to 250 BC,Dimensions: 3.5" (8.9cm) high x 1.875" (4.8cm) wide,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Chupicuaro,Medium: Terracotta. This woman is simply attired in a loincloth and necklace. About her shoulders are signs of ritual scarification. Very likely, the person who placed her in an ancient tomb to keep eternal vigil with the dead was a woman not unlike this.   « Less

Chupicuaro Terracotta Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.1500,Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico,Circa: 500 BC to 200 BC,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Chupicuaro,Medium:  More »

Chupicuaro Terracotta Sculpture of a Standing Woman - PF.1500,Origin: Chupicuaro, Mexico,Circa: 500 BC to 200 BC,Collection: Pre-Columbian,Style: Chupicuaro,Medium: Terracotta. Chupicuaro was the elaborate burial ground of a village above the Lerma River in the state of Guanajuato, eighty miles northwest of the Valley of Mexico. The abundant offerings of pottery, jade, and figurines discovered there attest to a flourishing artistic culture. One of the most endearing objects are small female figures of the 'pretty lady' type. This charming figure of a woman shows typical Chupicuaro characteristics. She is naked and wears large earspools in a criss-cross pattern, each dangling with long extensions. Her hair is parted in the middle and is built up from clay strips. A wide ornamented necklace containing an oval object in the center completes her finery. Her eyes are very large and almond shaped, nicely suited to her broad, flat face. She was probably intended as a fertility figure, perhaps as part of the belief that life is cyclical and re-generation continues into the afterlife. In this sense she has indeed returned from the other world into our world, and is as charming and intriguing as ever.   « Less