ANCIENT Pre-Columbian Colima Stone FROG/MAN Wearable Amulet 300 BC - 300 AD For Sale

COLIMA STONE FROG/MAN EFFIGY AMULET, 300 BCE - 300 AD

The Colima are part of a group of archaeological cultures – known almost purely from their artworks – referred to as the Western Mexico Shaft Tomb (WMST) tradition. There are many distinct groups within this agglomeration, and their relationships are almost totally obscure due to the lack of contextual information.

All of the cultures encompassed under the WMST nomenclature were in the habit of burying their dead in socially-stratified burial chambers at the base of deep shafts, which were in turn often topped by buildings. Originally believed to be influenced by the Tarascan people, who were contemporaries of the Aztecs, thermoluminescence has pushed back the dates of these groups over 1000 years. Although the apogee of this tradition was reached in the last centuries of the 1st millennium BC, it has its origins over 1000 years earlier at sites such as Huitzilapa and Teuchitlan, in the Jalisco region. Little is known of the cultures themselves, although preliminary data seems to suggest that they were sedentary agriculturists with social systems not dissimilar to chiefdoms. These cultures are especially interesting to students of Mesoamerican history as they seem to have been to a large extent outside the ebb and flow of more aggressive cultures – such as the Toltecs, Olmecs and Maya – in the same vicinity. Thus insulated from the perils of urbanization, they developed very much in isolation, and it behooves us to learn what we can from what they have left behind.

The arts of this region are enormously variable and hard to understand in chronological terms, mainly due to the lack of context. The most striking works are the ceramics, which were usually placed in graves, and do not seem to have performed any practical function (although highly decorated utilitarian vessels are also known). It is possible that they were designed to depict the deceased – they are often very naturalistic – although it is more probable that they constituted, when in groups, a retinue of companions, protectors and servants for the hereafter. More abstract pieces – such as reclinatorios – probably had a more esoteric meaning that is hard to recapture from the piece.

This piece falls within the Colima style, which is perhaps the most unusual stylistic subgroup of this region. The figures are very measured and conservative, while at the same time displaying a great competence of line. They are famous for their sculptures of obese dogs, which seem to have been fattened for the table. Colima reclinatorios are also remarkable, curvilinear yet geometric assemblages of intersecting planes and enigmatic constructions in the semi-abstract.

It is difficult to detect the hand of man in this remarkable sculpture; it seems to have evolved naturally through the ages from some primeval state. It depicts a creature that is part human, part amphibian, a kind of frog/man. There is a long mythological tradition in Ancient America for such hybrid creatures, as if remembering to a distant time when the laws of nature were blurred. The frog was especially reverred, for it was believed to be able to change its shape under the influence of certain hallucinogens. Is this then, a man imagining himself as a frog, or vise-versa? Though its mystery remains unexplained, its fascination endures, a token of ancient magic

Certificate of Authenticity:

This piece comes with the original certificate of authenticity given to the owner upon purchase in the early ‘90s. The COA is signed by none other than Fayez Barakat, one of the world’s leading antiquities collectors. “Barakat Antiquity” still exists today - and there is a vast amount of information about Fayez and his company out there if you wish to further research. Today, Barakat Antiquity maintains galleries in London, Seoul, Amman, West Hollywood, and Hong Kong.

Dimensions:

5.5 cm in height

3.5 cm wide

46 grams

NOTE: This piece can actually be worn as a pendant. To do so, you thread a chain through the two prominent holes under each of the figure\'s arms. If you wish to see how this piece displays when worn, please message me. The former owner did indeed wear this piece, yet - note that he used a leather cord. The soft leather an added measure of safety to prevent a necklace/chain from scratching the piece.

~If you have any further questions, or would like to see any additional photos, please do not hesitate to reach out in the form of an email. I will get back to you promptly.

~Will ship overseas, but not responsible for any customs fees that may be incurred.