The piece is undoubtedly Olmec and must have been made at some point between the year 900 and the year 500 B.C., the golden age of the style and set of manifestations we call Olmec. These manifestations occurred in different regions of what we call Mesoamerica, which reveals a close communication between the rulers who strengthened their power in that era (the Middle Preclassic).
The features that allow us to identify this sculpture as a work of Olmec style include: the almost rectangular shape of the head; the noticeably bulging lips and a grimace which hints at a certain ferocity; the slanted squinting eyes and the flat nose. The naturalism with which the work and headdress were executed, reminding us of a cap, coincide with particularly frequent characteristics in the Gulf of Mexico region. Therefore, it is probable that this piece is from southern Veracruz or eastern Tabasco.
These types of fins with parallel lines coming from the neck must correspond to an adornment, probably made from pleated paper, which was common in Mesoamerica and seen in other Olmec pieces. The helmet or cap also coincides with other Olmec images of the Gulf Coast, such as the colossal heads. During the Olmec stage, particularly in the Gulf region, a naturalist style was developed which coexisted with much more abstract expressions. In fact, this would be an interesting distinctive characteristic of Olmec art: its capacity to simultaneously produce highly abstract works from only a few strokes, such as anthropomorphic hatches, and works of strict naturalism. There are sufficient indications to suppose that Olmec anthropomorphic sculptures are in most cases images of rulers, and perhaps also the heads of intermediate hierarchy and priests.
The stone portraits of the Gulf region are presented in two distinct forms: some are gigantic and limited to heads. Olmec heads were sculpted by recycling thrones used by rulers in life. The other form was the full body portrait, with the ruler generally seated. The piece before us now is a fragment and corresponds to the full body portrait genre. To give us an idea of the complete image, it could be compared to a sculpture known as "the lord of the limes".
Although there is a possibility that the piece has been accidentally broken, it is probable that the object before us has resulted from the beheading of the original portrait. In both San Lorenzo and la Venta, as well as other Olmec sites, deliberate mutilation of the images was practiced. The colossal heads were deliberately beaten and many sculptures beheaded. Such mutilations and decapitations could have resulted from a renewal ritual, indicators of the end of an era or dynasty and the beginning of another, but they may also have been due to merely violent acts of rebellion, in which the images of the rulers were symbolically attacked.
The piece is undoubtedly Olmec and must have been made at some point between the year 900 and the year 500 B.C., the golden age of the style and set of manifestations we call Olmec. These manifestations occurred in different regions of what we call Mesoamerica, which reveals a close communication between the rulers who strengthened their power in that era (the Middle Preclassic).
