Pendant Figure. Mixteca, Mexico, 13th-15th century AD. Stone. 5.5 cm height. PROVENANCE: - Private collection, Romy Rey, London. 1970. - Acquired by inheritance from the previous owner. - Art market, United Kingdom. CONDITION: Intact. DESCRIPTION: The Mixtec culture flourished in the present-day State of Oaxaca, Mexico, a tropical zone with a hot temperate climate, summer rainy season and winter dry season. The geography varies from coastal to sierra, and includes forests and arable lands. The Mixtec people lived mainly in the highlands of the cloud-covered Oaxacan sierra, earning them the nickname of “Cloud People”. The Mixtec culture originated from the same groups as the Zapotecs, and the two cultures developed in parallel under the influence of the Toltecs until 1200, when they became independent. At that time they were highly active, expanding their reach towards the coast and to the north in a desire to conquer new territories. Eventually they were invaded by the Aztecs and Mexicas. Some of their artifacts display influences from cultures as far away as present-day Costa Rica and Panama. The Mixtecs were highly skilled in different forms of artistic expression. They made outstanding pieces with semiprecious stones such as jade, rock crystal, opal and obsidian. These included decorative items and small figurines in the form of deities, ancestors and animals, mostly rabbits and turtles. They also created mosaics out of turquoise. They worked gold into a variety of adornments such as brooches, rings, necklaces, nose ornaments and squash-shaped plates. In wood, they made ceremonial artifacts such as masks and knives. Their pottery was primarily polychromatic and consisted mainly of three-legged vessels decorated with animals, mythological figures, or flowers and multicolored borders. Other ceramic pieces include cups and bowls with long bases finished with a serpent head painted red and white, similar in style to their murals. The most common Mixtec iconographic motifs are deities and their insignias, animal emblems (serpent, jaguar, deer, rabbit, spider, etc.), sun and moon discs, bands of stars, skulls, skeletons and figures representing natural elements such as water and fire. These types of images are frequently found in Mixtec pictographic manuscripts or codices that narrated historic events and religious themes. Notes: - The piece includes authenticity certificate. - The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested, can take between 1-2 weeks maximum. - The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.