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HOME :
PRE COLUMBIAN ART :
Pre-Columbian Art Collection/ HK : Olmecoid Sculpture of a Standing Man
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Olmecoid Sculpture of a Standing Man - PF.1337
Origin: Morelos, Mexico
Circa: 1100
BC
to 500
BC
Dimensions:
7.75" (19.7cm) high
x 3.25" (8.3cm) wide
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Terracotta
Additional Information: Hong-Kong
Location: UAE
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| Description |
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The Olmecs are generally considered to be the
ultimate ancestor
of all subsequent Mesoamerican civilisations.
Thriving between
about 1200 and 400 BC, their base was the tropical
lowlands of
south central Mexico, an area characterized by
swamps
punctuated by low hill ridges and volcanoes. Here
the Olmecs
practiced advanced farming techniques and
constructed
permanent settlements. However, the consolidation
of their city-
states led to notable cultural influence far beyond
their heartland,
and throughout the Mesoamerican region. It would
appear that
the Olmec style became synonymous with elite
status in other
(predominantly highland) groups, with evidence for
exchange of
artefacts in both directions. A non-literate group, the
Olmecs
nevertheless paved the way for the development of
writing
systems in the loosely defined Epi- Olmec period (c.
500 BC).
Further innovations include arguably the first use of
the zero, so
instrumental in the Maya long count vigesimal
calendrical system.
They also appear to have been the originators of the
famous
Mesoamerican ballgame so prevalent among later
cultures in the
region, and either retained or invented several
religious symbols
such as the feathered serpent and the rain spirit,
which persisted
in subsequent and related cultures until the middle
ages.
Comparatively little is known of their magico-
religious world,
although the clues that we have are tantalizing. The
art forms for
which the Olmecs are best known, the monumental
stone heads
weighing up to forty tons, are generally assumed to
pertain to
some form of kingly leader or possibly an ancestor.
The smaller
jade figures and celts are believed to be domestically
or
institutionally based totems or divinities. The quality
of
production is astonishing, particularly if one
considers the
technology available for production, the early date of
the pieces,
and the dearth of earlier works upon which the
Olmec sculptors
could draw. Some pieces are highly stylized, while
others
demonstrate striking naturalism.
The term “Olmecoid” refers to those unknown
cultures that lived
on the periphery of the Olmec and were highly
influenced by their
neighbor. As such, Olmecoid works of art reflect
stylistic
tendencies characteristic of the greater Olmec
culture, albeit
mixed with their own indigenous qualities.
- (PF.1337)
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