Mexican...sculpture? Anyone with any knowledge of era/deities that could help?

[MCMidCent]

Hi, I just came across this...artifact? And can't find any comparable images to identify the deity or any other identifiable info.

Overall Dimensions: 9.25"x5.5"x10"

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

 

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[Retired Sarge]

Being marked HECHO EN MEXICO or MADE IN MEXICO, I wouldn't expect it to be too old. As for what or who it represents still trying to figure that one out.

It has traits that make it seem Mayan, Incan, Aztec, Zapotec. First I thought maybe a Funerary Urn/Figurine but they normally have their hands on their knees.

So right now I'm at a loss.......Basically it's a tourist trade item made in Mexico in the style of.....?

 

[Red-Coat]

Welcome to Tnet

Your figurine, which I guess may be modelled as a precolumbian incensario was likely made between 1978-2004. The sticker is a trademarked logo, first introduced in 1978 by the Mexican government, primarily for use on export goods and tourist souvenirs. It has undergone various style changes since then and the subsequent version which replaced it was trademarked in 2004:



The last registration/renewal I could find was in 2007, but with the application being abandoned in 2008 before being granted. Manufacturers wanting to use these logos must (are supposed to) apply for a license from the Mexican government but the lapsed version could perhaps have been used subsequently without that permission.

I don't know what the figure is supposed to represent but these modern figurines fall into one of two categories: copies of the real thing (sometimes from museum pieces); and fantasies loosely inspired by the real thing. With a bit of Googling, you may find what it was copied from in the Museo Nacional de Antropolog?a in Mexico City... or not.

 

[tamrock]

Amazing RC. I would have never thought to research any references on paper label variations.

 

[MCMidCent]

For real! I googled everything I could think of, of course because of the sticker my assumptions aligned with yours about the age/nature of the piece, but thought it possible it drew its inspiration from some specific, identifiable aspect of the culture....found similar things like you described but nothing "close enough" given the significance of the direction of the hands for instance, being seated, holding an object etc, if it were likened after a traditional deity. I'd have *never* thought of looking into the sticker itself! Thanks so much, that goes a long way towards quelling my need for incessant digging until I have something verifiable. And it's finals week! So I really needed that ��

Thanks for the input everyone. Now I can sleep �� ��