Olmec Sculpture in Jadeite Representing a Were-jaguar - GM.0018

B A R A K AT G A L L E RY Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

Olmec Sculpture in Jadeite Representing a Were-Jaguar - GM.0018 Origin: Mexico Circa: 900 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 7.5" (19.1cm) high x 3.5" (8.9cm) wide x 5.2" (13.2cm) depth Medium: Jadeite Condition: Extra Fine Price on request

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu 941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

B A R A K AT G A L L E RY Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

Curatorial comment: A beautiful example of Olmec Sculpture in jadeite. The beautiful colour of this stone was immensely valued

by Olmecs. Jadeite is a rare variety of greenstone, and most probably originated from the Motagua River valley in present-day Guatemala, the only known source of jadeite in ancient Mesoamerica. Jadeite is an extremely dense rock with a relative hardness value equivalent to or even greater than that of steel.

Polished to a shine, this beautiful sculpture epitomizes the art of the Olmec culture. Created out of a light green jadeite, the artistic rendering and the iconography are most interesting. The anatomy shows that the artist had a basic understanding, yet kept the figure simple. The hands are joined under the face, yet they contain nothing. The features on the face are carefully detailed yet the ears are gently molded onto the face. Smooth to the touch, we realize that it still contains the beauty and elegance it carried at its first creation.

This sculpture portrays the features commonly referred to as the “were-jaguar.” This name is used to describe a characteristic countenance of Olmec art generally exhibiting the puffy, fat cheeks and jowls of a human baby with the slanted eyes and curved mouth of a jaguar. The jaguar is one of the most potent symbols in Mesoamerican art. Often associated with the ruling power of the king, the jaguar was the most sacred beast in the animal pantheon. The veneration of this beast permeates the art of the Olmec. In this case, the were-jaguar statuette probably reflects (or is connected to) the Olmec belief that, in the distant past, a union between a woman and a jaguar had produced an earlier race of were- jaguars of which the Olmecs believed to be the descendants.

Looking at the iconography, three possible interpretations are offered: 1. If the sculpture was displayed horizontally, on all fours, it is possible that the figure was represented as pretending to be a jaguar; 2. If the sculpture was displayed upright, we could be looking at a stargazer: a man looking at the sky, possibly in a ritual act of prayer; 3. We could also be looking at a shaman or priest wearing a jaguar mask as part of some specific and yet unknown ritual.

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu 941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

B A R A K AT G A L L E RY Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

Condition Report: The artefact (Olmec Sculpture in Jadeite Representing a Were-jaguar - GM.0018) is in extra fine condition. Minor erosion on the legs. Only occasional scruff, entirely compatible with the archaeological history of the artefact.

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu 941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

B A R A K AT G A L L E RY Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu 941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

B A R A K AT G A L L E RY Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu 941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

B A R A K AT G A L L E RY Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu 941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul