Standing figure. - Lot 405

Standing figure. Olive-green hard stone with patinated surface. Height: 22.8 cm Olmec culture, ca. 900-500 B.C. J.C. Mexico, Guerrero state Statuette representing a standing figure. The legs are slightly bent, separated by a wide vertical notch. The arms are detached from the trunk. The right arm is missing, while the left is incomplete. The head, elongated and massive, is recessed into the shoulders, while the top of the skull remains uncarved. The face displays the distinctive features of Olmec culture: deep-set, slightly sunken eyes, a flattened aquiline nose and a fleshy mouth with drooping corners. Provenance: Collection of Monsieur F. Sotheby's, New York, May 9, 2006, lot no. 150 Mathias Komor, New York Barbara Wescott, New Jersey Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, October 14, 1977, lot no. 117 and catalog cover. The Olmec culture was the founding culture of all subsequent cultures in Mesoamerica, and gave them their main characteristics, notably the role and importance of the shaman. The green stone in connection with the principle of regeneration. This sculpture probably represents a shaman undergoing the process of transformation into a jaguar, enabling him to explore new horizons.