Antiquities and Pre-Columbian Art: Expressions of the Past

Provenance:

Private European Collection, acquired prior to 1972.

Galerie Mermoz, Paris, 1997 (Tribal Arts, Vol. IV, No. 2, p. 11).

Acquired by the present owner from the above, 12 August 2002.

Exhibited:

New York, New York, The New York Tribal Antique Show, 17-19 October 1997.

Belgium, Brussels, 43eme Foire des Antiquaires de Belgique, 23 January-1 February 1998.

Switzerland, Basel, Cultura Basel, 13-21 October 2001.

This Olmec statuette depicts a stooped figure with a marsupial-like face, featuring an elongated snout, broad at the top and tapering to the wide fleshy nose, wrinkled cheeks and legs bent at the knees. The defined fingers and toes resemble opossum paws, while the arms are half-bent with palms facing downward, suggesting a ritualistic pose. The figure's perked, pierced ears and traces of red pigment further emphasize its role in the transformation narrative, highlighting the interplay between human and animal forms.

Marsupial-like creatures, particularly the opossum (Tlacuache), are significant in Mesoamerican mythology, symbolizing adaptability and cunning. In Maya narratives, opossums are often portrayed as trickster figures in the Popol Vuh, embodying cleverness and mischief. Similarly, Aztec myth includes the opossum as a fire-bearer, illustrating its resourcefulness and role in human survival. These themes of transformation and resilience, first evident in ancient Olmec art, laid the groundwork for later expressions in ancient Mesoamerican cultures.

For Olmec transformation figures in general, see M. Coe, et al, The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership, Princeton, 1995; For a similar figure in basalt, see Coe et al., The Olmec World, 1995, p. 219, no. 115.