Palmer Notched Incised. Carved stone figurine with face and legs indicated (notched).  This beautiful Formative period stone is orange in color due to the enriched iron and magnesium matrix in which it was found. Deep incised carving creates this more elaborate charming face. Breast are also well defined. Very large and rare piece. These finer type stones start to appear in stage 3-4.  Mineral and sediment deposits in incised areas.

Choice condition.

Measures 7”/17.78 cm in height. Santa Elena, Ecuador Ca 2300 BC - 1450 BC.

Ex. Landazuri Family Estate Acquired in the 1970s., Ex. B. Burns Collection New York, NY

Similar examples published in Ancient Ecuador - Culture, Clay and Creativity 3000-300 B.C. Also appear at Casa del Alabado Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, Quito, Ecuador.

Palmers Stones represents the earliest known appearance of human figurines in the New World. The range from simple ground plaques (Phase 1) to elaborately carved representations in which the facial features are clearly indicated and hands are depicted as a feather or rake-like design. The stone prisms are turned into human effigies by low relief carving emphasizing the eyes and hands. The progressive sequence of stone figurines are from the simple rectangular plaque, to plaques with a groove indicating the division between the legs, to the more detailed depiction of the human face and limbs (Phase 2).