Two Guerrero Mezcala Stone Axe God Figures
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala, ca. 500–100 BCE. A pair of anthropomorphic figures carved from dense volcanic stone in the pared-down idiom for which the Mezcala culture of Guerrero is celebrated. Each takes the "axe-god" form, a votive object worked from a polished celt so that the tool itself becomes a standing body. Broad grooves and shallow channels articulate a domed head, a suggested neck, and a columnar torso terminating in cursory legs, the sculptor coaxing a human presence from the fewest possible cuts. The surfaces retain a soft, waxy sheen from handling and burial. Such figures were not weapons but ritual effigies, likely deposited as offerings or interred with the dead, their abstraction lending them an enduring, almost modernist economy of line that captivated twentieth-century collectors. Size: 6.5" H x 2.6" W (16.5 cm H x 6.6 cm W).
The Mezcala style takes its name from the Rio Balsas (Mezcala) drainage of central Guerrero. Lacking a securely excavated chronology, these lapidary works are broadly dated to the Middle-to-Late Preclassic, though the tradition persisted for centuries; Mezcala objects were prized as heirlooms even by the later Aztec, who buried them as offerings in the Templo Mayor at Tenochtitlan. The reductive geometry, achieved by abrading hard stone with cord, sand, and simpler stones rather than metal tools, so anticipates the vocabulary of modern abstraction that figures like these were avidly sought by artists and collectors including Diego Rivera.
Provenance: private Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private San Antonio, Texas, USA collection, before 2006
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
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 #203133
Condition
A few chips to larger. Weathering with nicks and abrasions to both, all commensurate with age. Liberal remaining detail.
Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala, ca. 500–100 BCE. A pair of anthropomorphic figures carved from dense volcanic stone in the pared-down idiom for which the Mezcala culture of Guerrero is celebrated. Each takes the "axe-god" form, a votive object worked from a polished celt so that the tool itself becomes a standing body. Broad grooves and shallow channels articulate a domed head, a suggested neck, and a columnar torso terminating in cursory legs, the sculptor coaxing a human presence from the fewest possible cuts. The surfaces retain a soft, waxy sheen from handling and burial. Such figures were not weapons but ritual effigies, likely deposited as offerings or interred with the dead, their abstraction lending them an enduring, almost modernist economy of line that captivated twentieth-century collectors. Size: 6.5" H x 2.6" W (16.5 cm H x 6.6 cm W).
The Mezcala style takes its name from the Rio Balsas (Mezcala) drainage of central Guerrero. Lacking a securely excavated chronology, these lapidary works are broadly dated to the Middle-to-Late Preclassic, though the tradition persisted for centuries; Mezcala objects were prized as heirlooms even by the later Aztec, who buried them as offerings in the Templo Mayor at Tenochtitlan. The reductive geometry, achieved by abrading hard stone with cord, sand, and simpler stones rather than metal tools, so anticipates the vocabulary of modern abstraction that figures like these were avidly sought by artists and collectors including Diego Rivera.
Provenance: private Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private San Antonio, Texas, USA collection, before 2006
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
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 #203133
Condition
A few chips to larger. Weathering with nicks and abrasions to both, all commensurate with age. Liberal remaining detail.
