An Olmec Blackware Effigy Vessel in the Form of a Human Face

Mexico, Circa 1000-600 B.C.

Length 9 1/2 inches (24.13 cm).

Property from the Collection of Maria Perry, Lexington, Kentucky

Provenance:

The Lands Beyond, New York; where acquired by the present owner, 1970s.

Exhibited:

Kentucky, Lexington, Bluegrass Collectors, University of Kentucky Art Museum, 27 August - 22 October 1989 (Loan no. 89.72.5).

Inspected under UV light, 10x loupe, and acetone tested. Areas of possible overpaint or superficial restoration that lifts with acetone; approximately 25 percent in various small areas throughout (head, cheek, and back of vessel). Traces of sediment within crevices and inside the vessel; traces of cinnabar also present. Surface weathering and abrasions throughout, as is typical with age. Overall in fine and stable condition. Width 6 13/16 inches (17.3 cm).

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Jacob Coley

Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Antiquities and Ancient Art

[email protected]312 280 1212

Mr. Coley joined the Antiquities department in 2021 after working as Managing Director in the Ancient Art department at Colnaghi, the world’s oldest commercial art gallery, where he helped to establish the Ancient Art department and launched Colnaghi New York in 2017. Prior to Colnaghi, Mr. Coley was in the Greek and Roman Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Coley holds a B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. in Art Market from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and he earned an art-appraisal certificate from New York University.

Ethnographic & Tribal Art

An Olmec Blackware Effigy Vessel in the Form of a Human Face

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