Description: Authentic Pre-Columbian Olmec Baby Terracotta Figure with TL Testing Origin: Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec, Age: ca. 1000 to 400 BCE. A hallmark, superb Olmec baby A large earthenware seated Olmec baby figure exhibiting its characteristic 'baby fat' interrupted by a slight recessed navel. This ancient Olmec baby exhibits a slightly elongated head topped by a cap-like coiffure, impressed eyes with pupils that are pierced all the way into the head, and outstretched arms and legs. Her facial features may be interpreted as displaying were-jaguar features, characteristically undergoing a supernatural transformation. Size: 5" L x 3.5" W x 7.3" H (12.7 cm x 8.9 cm x 18.5 cm) This piece has been precisely dated by means of a Thermo Luminescence analysis . The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. The TL certificate with its full report will accompany this lot. ConditionLoss to arms, legs, and headdress as shown. Surface nicks and chips to high pointed areas. TL hole on the base and second TL hole under left arm. Remains of old inventory label on base and putty for stability. Olmec figurine8 languagesArticleTalkReadEditView historyFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaA selection of tiny naturalistic Olmec ceramic figurines from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The hunchback at center is less than 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall.An archetypical baby-face figurine from Las Bocas.Olmec figurines are archetypical figurines produced by the Formative Period inhabitants of Mesoamerica. While not all of these figurines were produced in the Olmec heartland, they bear the hallmarks and motifs of Olmec culture. While the extent of Olmec control over the areas beyond their heartland is not yet known, Formative Period figurines with Olmec motifs were widespread in the centuries from 1000 to 500 BC, showing a consistency of style and subject throughout nearly all of Mesoamerica.These figurines are usually found in household refuse, ancient construction fill, and, outside the Olmec heartland, graves.[1][2] However, many Olmec-style figurines, particularly those labelled as Las Bocas- or Xochipala-style, were recovered by looters and are therefore without provenance.The vast majority of figurines are simple in design, often nude or with a minimum of clothing, and made of local terracotta. Most of these recoveries are mere fragments: a head, arm, torso, or a leg.[3] It is thought, based on wooden busts recovered from the water-logged El Manati site, that figurines were also carved from wood, but, if so, none have survived.More durable and better known by the general public are those figurines carved, usually with a degree of skill, from jade, serpentine, greenstone, basalt, and other minerals and stones.Baby-face figurines[edit]The "baby-face" figurine is a unique marker of Olmec culture, consistently found in sites that show Olmec influence,[4] although they seem to be confined to the early Olmec period and are largely absent, for example, in La Venta.[5]These ceramic figurines are easily recognized by the chubby body, the baby-like jowly face, downturned mouth, and the puffy slit-like eyes. The head is slightly pear-shaped, likely due to artificial cranial deformation.[6] They often wear a tight-fitting helmet not dissimilar to those worn by the Olmec colossal heads.[7] Baby-face figurines are usually naked, but without genitalia.[8] Their bodies are rarely rendered with the detail shown on their faces.Also called "hollow babies", these figurines are generally from 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) high[9] and feature a highly burnished white- or cream-slip. They are only rarely found in archaeological context.[10]Archaeologist Jeffrey Blomster divides baby-face figurines into two groups based on several features. Among the many distinguishing factors, Group 1 figurines more closely mirror the characteristics of Gulf Coast Olmec artifacts. Group 2 figurines are also slimmer than those of Group 1, lacking the jowly face or fleshy body, and their bodies are larger in proportion to their heads.[11]Given the sheer numbers of baby-face figurines unearthed, they undoubtedly fulfilled some special role in the Olmec culture. What they represented, however, is not known. Michael Coe, says "One of the great enigmas in Olmec iconography is the nature and meaning of the large, hollow, whiteware babies".[12]Courtesy of Wikipedia
Price: 11000 USD
Location: Libertyville, Illinois
End Time: 2024-02-25T01:23:31.000Z
Shipping Cost: 155 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Culture: Latin American
