Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 7A
image_0 image_1 image_2
Guerrero Mezcala Stone Amulet Effigy
Guerrero Mezcala Stone Amulet Effigy
image_0 image_1 image_2

Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala, ca. 500 BCE – 300 CE. A standing anthropomorphic figure reduced to its quietest geometry, carved from a pale stone now veiled in chalky accretion, the body a smooth column from which arms, shoulders, and a domed cranium emerge in the barest relief. The maker worked by abrasion and string-sawing rather than the chisel, drawing shallow grooves to separate the crossed forearms from the torso and to part the legs at the hem, while lateral perforations pierce the head and shoulders so the figure could hang against a body or a bundle. Drilled circular depressions punctuate the head and chest, and the whole has the worn, sea-smoothed softness of an object long buried, its features dissolved toward suggestion. Size: 1.1" W x 3.2" H (2.8 cm W x 8.1 cm H); on included custom stand: 2.5" W x 4.2" H (6.3 cm W x 10.7 cm H).

The aesthetic is the signature of the Mezcala lapidaries of central Guerrero, who pared the human form to essentials centuries before modern sculptors thought to call such paring sophistication. Working without metal tools, they coaxed figures, masks, and miniature temple facades from hard volcanic stone using only cord, sand, water, and patience, letting the abrasive line do the work of the carving knife. The result is an art of omission, where a single sawn groove conjures an arm and a pair of pits conjures a face, an economy of means that the twentieth century would mistake for its own invention.

Small perforated figures of this kind served as amulets and pendants, worn in life and gathered in death, deposited in caches and burials across the Balsas River drainage where the Mezcala tradition flourished from the Late Preclassic into the Early Classic. Their afterlife proved nearly as eventful as their origin, for when Miguel Covarrubias and Carlo Gay brought Guerrero stonework to mid-century attention, collectors and artists alike found in its severe abstraction a mirror for modernism, and figures like this one passed from grave goods to gallery vitrines. Whether worn as a guardian against the unseen or interred to accompany the dead, the piece keeps its purpose folded inside its silence, a human shape pared down until only the idea of a person remains.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Los Angeles, California, USA collection; ex-major gallery, Beverly Hills, California, USA, primarily acquired between 1985 and 2005

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 # 202815

  • Condition: Good. Chipping to chest and arms, as well as abrasions in areas. Otherwise, intact and wearable with a nice presentation. Old collection label on verso.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 30% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000