Olmecoid Miniature Seated Figure with Labret and Suspension HolePre-Columbian, Mexico,...
Olmecoid Miniature Seated Figure with Labret and Suspension HolePre-Columbian, Mexico, Olmecoid, ca. 1000–600 BCE. A miniature seated figure in solid buff ceramic under a fine cream-tan slip, modeled with disarming presence at pendant scale. He sits cross-legged, left hand resting on a rounded, distended belly, right hand on the knee. The head carries a closely cropped coiffure rendered in fine parallel striations, and the face is unusually articulate: heavy lids, broad nose, and full downturned mouth set with a chin labret. Small ear ornaments and an incised necklace complete the regalia. A suspension perforation pierces the neck, indicating the piece was worn or hung rather than set down. The corpulent, adorned body likely marks a person of ritual standing, perhaps a shaman, a recurrent subject in Olmec and Olmec-influenced figural work. Size: 2" W x 1.125" H (5.1 cm W x 2.9 cm H).
"Olmecoid" is the standard hedge for objects that carry the Olmec formal vocabulary (the downturned mouth, the fleshy jowls, the inward-turned meditative gaze) without a secure attribution to the Gulf Coast heartland of San Lorenzo and La Venta. Olmec style radiated far beyond that core between roughly 1000 and 600 BCE, and workshops in Guerrero, Puebla, Morelos, and the Valley of Mexico produced figures in the idiom for local patrons.
The labret, a plug or ornament worn through the lower lip, was a durable Mesoamerican marker of rank and remained in use into the Aztec era. Paired here with ear ornaments, a necklace, and a body deliberately modeled as heavy, it signals a personage of consequence rather than a generic votive. The neck perforation places the object in the class of small portable effigies worn on the body, amulets whose power was carried rather than housed.
Provenance: NYC. collection; Ex. Edward H. Merrin Gallery, Inc., NYC., 1968-69.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #73015Intact, excellent condition.
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Olmecoid Miniature Seated Figure with Labret and Suspension HolePre-Columbian, Mexico, Olmecoid, ca. 1000–600 BCE. A miniature seated figure in solid buff ceramic under a fine cream-tan slip, modeled with disarming presence at pendant scale. He sits cross-legged, left hand resting on a rounded, distended belly, right hand on the knee. The head carries a closely cropped coiffure rendered in fine parallel striations, and the face is unusually articulate: heavy lids, broad nose, and full downturned mouth set with a chin labret. Small ear ornaments and an incised necklace complete the regalia. A suspension perforation pierces the neck, indicating the piece was worn or hung rather than set down. The corpulent, adorned body likely marks a person of ritual standing, perhaps a shaman, a recurrent subject in Olmec and Olmec-influenced figural work. Size: 2" W x 1.125" H (5.1 cm W x 2.9 cm H).
"Olmecoid" is the standard hedge for objects that carry the Olmec formal vocabulary (the downturned mouth, the fleshy jowls, the inward-turned meditative gaze) without a secure attribution to the Gulf Coast heartland of San Lorenzo and La Venta. Olmec style radiated far beyond that core between roughly 1000 and 600 BCE, and workshops in Guerrero, Puebla, Morelos, and the Valley of Mexico produced figures in the idiom for local patrons.
The labret, a plug or ornament worn through the lower lip, was a durable Mesoamerican marker of rank and remained in use into the Aztec era. Paired here with ear ornaments, a necklace, and a body deliberately modeled as heavy, it signals a personage of consequence rather than a generic votive. The neck perforation places the object in the class of small portable effigies worn on the body, amulets whose power was carried rather than housed.
Provenance: NYC. collection; Ex. Edward H. Merrin Gallery, Inc., NYC., 1968-69.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #73015Intact, excellent condition.
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
