Hand-Shaped Pendant
- Hand-Shaped Pendant
- Hand Shaped Pendant
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Blue-green translucent jade was the substance most precious to the ancient Olmec culture. They created adornment and other objects of this valuable stone to be buried with the most important deceased. This elegant, hand-shaped sculpture was drilled with holes to hang as a pendant.
The hand was an important motif in many ancient Mesoamerican cultures. A symbol of scribes and rulership, it may also have signified the completion of life. Jade, the color of water and growing plants, was a symbol of agricultural fertility. The most prized substance in the Mesoamerican world, it was possessed only by esteemed individuals. Jade remains cool to the touch—a magical quality in the hot, humid tropics. The Olmec primarily favored a deep blue-green jade. Though jade was most important, other green stones, like the more opaque serpentine, were also held to be precious.
ProvenanceEdith Park Martin (1917–1989) and Alastair Bradley Martin (1917–2010) (The Guennol Collection), Katonah, NY, by at least 1959; given to their children; sold through [The Merrin Gallery, Inc., New York]; Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. (1913–2008), Houston, until d. 2008; Estate of Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., 2008–2010; given to MFAH, 2010.
Exhibition History"Ancient Art of the Americas," Brooklyn Museum, December 1, 1959–January 3, 1960.
Long-term loan, Brooklyn Museum, 1960–1969.
"The Guennol Collection," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, November 6, 1969–January 4, 1970.
"Rufino Tamayo: Myth and Magic," Brooklyn Museum, May 18–August 12, 1979.
"The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership," The Art Museum, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; December 16, 1995–February 25, 1996.
"The Art of the Olmec Civilization," National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; June 30–October 20, 1996.
"The Guennol Collection: Cabinet of Wonders," Brooklyn Museum, February 20, 2000–May 7, 2000.
Published References Michael D. Coe, "America's First Civilization" (Princeton, NJ: American Heritage, 1968), 150. Ida Ely Rubin, ed., "The Guennol Collection, Volume I" (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975), 316-19. Gillet Griffin et al., "Tresors du nouveau monde" (Brussels: Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 1992), 162, no. 92. Beatriz de la Fuente et al., "Mexico en el mundo de las colecciones de arte 1: Mesoamerica" (Mexico City, 1992), 46. Michael D. Coe, "The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership" (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 1995), 195, no. 82. Michael D. Coe, "The Olmec Notebooks of Miguel Covarrubias" (http://www.mesoweb.com/Coe/Covarrubias.pdf: Mesoweb, 2012), 30. Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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