Antiquities and Pre-Columbian Art: Expressions of the Past

Provenance:

Mermoz Gallery Paris, acquired in 1974.

Fine Arts of Ancient Lands, New York, acquired in 1978.

Private Collection, United States.

Throckmorton Fine Art, New York.

Acquired by the present owner from the above, 30 January 2003.

This standing figure, carved from serpentine, reflects the interplay of Olmecoid and Teotihuacan artistic traditions. With its prominent facial features, including large eyes and a broad nose, the figure captures key elements of Olmec aesthetics while also showcasing characteristics distinctive to Teotihuacan. Its rounded limbs and forward-facing palms align it with the standardized forms typical of standing stone figures from Teotihuacan, suggesting it was produced during the Proto-Classic Period. Likely once adorned with a perishable headdress or garment and the eyes inlaid with shell or pyrite, it most certainly served as a high-status object.

Teotihuacan was a major Mesoamerican city, known for its advanced urban design and extensive cultural influence. The city not only functioned as a political center but also as a hub of artistic exchange that shaped neighboring cultures, such as the Maya. The art of Teotihuacan is marked by standardized motifs, particularly in its stone masks and figures, which exhibit slight variations indicative of local practices. The Olmec culture, regarded as the "Mother Culture," profoundly influenced subsequent societies, including Teotihuacan, evident in the shared iconographic elements found in their artistic expressions.

For comparative examples of Teotihuacan figures with Olmecoid features, see K. Berrin and E. Pasztory, Teotihuacan: Art from the City of the Gods, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1993, p. 180, no. 18; For insights on Teotihuacan's artistic influences, refer to M. Coe, Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, New York, 2013, pp. 56-58.