Pre-columbian Olmec Jade Kneeling Sculpture From Tabasco

Pre-Columbian, Tabasco, Mexico, Olmec, circa 1150–500 BC.

A finely carved jadeite kneeling figure with hands placed beneath an offering bowl, a bent torso, and an elongated head (misformed due to artificial cranial deformation practiced by the Olmecs), displays the traditional features of the Olmec infant face: slanted eyes, jowls, a fleshy nose, two classical ear ornaments, and a downturned were-jaguar mouth.

In addition to this powerful iconography, the intrinsic beauty of jade is admirable.

The first great civilization of Mesoamerica was that of the Olmec, established in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico around 1500 BC. The Olmecs were highly advanced, creators of monumental architecture, colossal statuary, and a sophisticated aristocracy who appreciated fine obsidian and jade objects like this one.

Dim: 8 h x 3 w x 4 d cm / 110 g

Provenance:
Private Parisian collection.
According to the last owner: Purchased and collected by his family in Southern California in the 1970s, from a private American collection of pre-Columbian art.