Vintage Mexican Hand-Carved Onyx/Tecali Jaguar Warrior Sculpture, 11 Inch

Details

Description

A substantial late twentieth-century Mexican hand-carved stone figure depicting a Mesoamerican or Pre-Columbian Revival jaguar-warrior or animal-headdress figure. The sculpture … Read more A substantial late twentieth-century Mexican hand-carved stone figure depicting a Mesoamerican or Pre-Columbian Revival jaguar-warrior or animal-headdress figure. The sculpture is carved from a dense cream to yellow calcitic decorative stone with extensive natural grey-black, brown and purplish veining, consistent with Mexican onyx or tecali-type calcite.

The figure is presented in a kneeling or seated pose, with elongated open spaces created between the torso, arms and legs. The head is surmounted by a large stylised animal or jaguar-type headdress with an open mouth, while the face, hands, costume details and headdress are rendered in broad, simplified carving characteristic of twentieth-century Mexican revival and decorative production.

The natural mineral structure is integral to the visual character of the piece. Cream and yellow passages are crossed by darker veining that continues through exposed surfaces rather than appearing as applied colour. The stone is hand carved and polished, with considerable undercutting around the arms, headdress, facial features and open limb sections.

The work belongs to the modern Mexican tradition of decorative stone carving inspired by ancient Mesoamerican imagery. It should be understood as a twentieth-century revival object rather than an archaeological Pre-Columbian artefact. A connection with the Puebla or Tecali de Herrera stone-carving tradition is plausible, but no workshop, artist or precise quarry attribution has been established.

The subject is best described as a jaguar-warrior or animal-headdress figure. A specific identification as Tezcatlipoca is not considered sufficiently supported by the surviving iconography.

Measurements: 11 in H × 6 in W × 4 in D

Weight: 5.14 lb

Style: Rustic, Folk Art

Origin: Mexico

Age: Second half of the 20th century See less