A Pair of Olmec Birds with Long Beaks and Extended Legs... (Total: 2 )

Description

A Pair of Olmec Birds with Long Beaks and Extended Legs
Mexico, c. 1200-900 BC, Early Pre-Classic Period

Carved from Pacific pearl oyster, the birds are mirror images of each other. The short wings and long thin legs suggest a wading bird, such as an egret or heron. A horizontal slot above the body might have been used to attach the birds to a headdress or headband. Each bird has a round head with a well-defined feather crest, round eye and an elongated bill with blunt tip. The neck is curved, and the body is rectangular with tail feathers that form a triangular ruff with squared end. The elongated leg has clearly defined upper and lower parts and small feet. Fine carving and incisions were used to outline crest, wings, tail feathers and details on the body. The eyes originally had inlays, probably iron ore. In good condition, assembled from three or four original parts, the fixative visible on verso.

The Snowy Egret inhabits the Guerrero coastline of Mexico year-round. Avian motifs, whether in full-scale versions or in abstract forms, were an important component of the Olmec representational system. Rulers donned the Bird Monster (Harpy Eagle) headdress and mask and wore feathered capes as symbols of their power and authority. Other birds like parrots and ducks also appear in Olmec art. Seabirds such as the frigate, egret and the heron were associated with the sea, fish and fertility - the Underworld in ancient Mesoamerican thought.

Provenance:
Private Collection, New York
Acquired by the current collection 2003
Herbert L. Lucas, Los Angeles. Acquired prior to 1985
Fine Arts of Ancient Lands, New York

Exhibited:
Denver Art Museum, 2001 - 2004
Detroit Institute of Arts, 1985 - 2001

Lengths: 3 ¼ each

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