Small statue found while scuba diving off Catalina Island CA

[lililennonlove]

Please someone help identify this small statue. I am trying to help my grandmother identify this statue. She has had this since the 1960s when my grandfather found it while scuba diving off the coast of Catalina Island California. I have done tons of research and I believe it is pre Columbian but that's as far as I can get. Need help identifying and authenticating.

 

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[BosnMate]

The statue looks Aztec to my eye, which is just a guess. I've been told by a person I think might know what he was talking about, that Aztec's made little statues of their gods, and would place them in the fields when they planted a crop. True or not, here is a picture of an Aztec stone statue that resembles yours. There was probably trade between Indians living in what is now southern Calif. and Mexico, but again I just mention that as a source for research, I don't know for sure. I'd also say it's pre Columbian. I found this picture with a google images search "Azetc stone heads."

 

[ARC]

Looks good to me.
BUT...
I am by a far cry... no expert in these things.

BUT AGAIN...
I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night... :P

 

[Retired Sarge]

The OP's statue looks like it's made of marble or something similar. Did they use stone like this or have access to stone like that? Just an uneducated observation!

 

[Ant]

I see an Egyptian motif, the arms and elbows appear to be at the side, the arms on the Aztec appear to be crossed with his elbows resting on his knees. I can't get the head angles to line-up either:

 

[bammer]

Possibly washed out from a burial on the island. The Catalinas had thousands of graves looted, some had giants. Museum Explores Glidden - Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce

 

[Mackaydon]

For several thousand years before European contact, the Los Angeles basin and the Southern Channel Islands (Santa Catalina, San Clemente, and San Nicholas) appear to have been inhabited by peoples of linguistic affinity--the Takic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. You may also wish to research the native Indian tribal names of Pimrengans (sp?), Gabrielinos (sp?) and, most recently, the Chumash Indians.
Don...

 

[Ant]

And when king tut's tomb was discorved Egyptian motifs became popular in the US. I can say that occasionally we find Victorian period crafetd items in CA that have Egyptian theams. Catalina was popular with Hollywood too.

 

[Backwoodsbob]

My guess is either knight Templars or Jesuits. I would lean toward Jesuits. I saw the number 27 on it and that's why I chose the Jesuits

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[Backwoodsbob]

You have a stone map. I was just in your area. There is alot of maps like that one. To me these are the real stone map. You have a nice piece there. Little is known about those kind except for a small circle of people. That one was made like that because of the native people that lived around there. I can see a lot of information on the stone.

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[lililennonlove]

No its not marble but it does resemble it. It looks to me like different kinds of rock molted together. But I wld really like to know what it's made of. In the research I have done, everything has said that mezcala peoples mined for several different kinds of rocks.

 

[lililennonlove]

Thank you. I will definitely try that route

 

[Backwoodsbob]

It looks like coquina

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[Captain Caveman]

It reminds me of an evil evil tiki. Please rent the following episodes of The Brady Bunch:

Hawaii Bound
Pass the Tabu
The Tiki Caves

Sir, you have been warned!

 

[sutphin]

LOOKS LIKE OUR GREAT LEADER IN THE THINKING ROOM AT THE OUTHOUSE. THIS IS A HISTORICAL ARTIFACT YOU HAVE HERE AND A NICE FIND.

 

[lililennonlove]

Thats so funny. I was just talking about those episodes yesterday

 

[unclemac]

it looks like soapstone to me with very little detail, which would make me think not incredibly old. I also get the feeling it is made with modern tools, like files...

 

[cw0909]

the stone looks like some type of conglomerate
i couldnt find any examples of modern carvings, but did find
a wiki article on breccia, the wiki has and example, and here
is another, yours looks like a lighter color, more like the sphere color
http://willdoherty.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/DSCN4145.JPG
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breccia#Ornamental_uses

and a modern made conglomerate sphere
http://www.decentgemstone.com/pro_photos/sm_prec/spheres/Conglomerate-sphere-1.jpg

 

[fowledup]

Being a hopless gold hound romantic, I have a picture in my head of some forlorn goldfield bound 49er sitting on a ship with not much else to do but carve a lump of soapstone for the next several months as the ship makes it way up from Panama or around the Horn.