Teotihuacan, (Approximately 0-650 A.D.)

Artist: Unknown (Teotihuacan, Approximately 0-650 A.D.).
Title: Head Fragment.
Medium: Stone, on a custom mahogany and brass plinth.
Condition: This work has some losses, the condition is commensurate with age.
Provenance: Private Collection Sydney.

About: Teotihuacan is an ancient Mesoamerican city located 50 km northeast of modern-day Mexico City. The city was settled as early as 400 B.C. and became the most powerful and influential city in the region by 400 A.D. By the time the Aztecs found the city in the 1400s and named it Teotihuacan (“the place where the gods were created”) the city had been abandoned for centuries. Teotihuacan’s origins, history, and culture largely remain a mystery. Some of the heads from this culture were carved from stone others were produced with the aid of moulds and fired out of clay.

The archaeological dating of Pre-Columbian antiquities to their periods and cultures is in part achieved by the variations in the representation of the Gods to that specific culture. Combined with consideration of the item’s craftsmanship, materials and size. However due to the problematic nature of researching lost civilisations, unfortunately, the specifics of the period, use and meaning can remain elusive and are often subject to an educated assumption at best. This work is part of an extensive collection of important antiquities within our culturally diverse collection.

Pre-Columbian art refers to the visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, North, Central, and South Americas. Dating until the late 15th and early 16th centuries and including the time period marked by Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas.