Description:

Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Aztec culture, ca. 1200 to 1532 CE. An intimidating flint sacrificial knife known as a tecpatl, hand-knapped to boast a leaf-like form with pointed terminals and broader near one end, in typical Aztec fashion. Blades like this example were important parts of Aztec rituals and would be used to open the chest of victims of human sacrifice and extract the heart that would feed the gods. Additionally, the tecpatl is one of the most complex iconographic symbols in Aztec mythology and expresses multiple meanings that carry a complex view of the world which are closely associated with the notions of origin and human sacrifice. Size: 8.4" L x 2.8" W (21.3 cm x 7.1 cm)

Provenance: private Healy collection, Studio City, California, USA; ex-Arte Primitivo, New York, New York, United States, February 4th, 2010, lot 87; ex-Edmund Budde, Sr. collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1950s

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#175140

  • Condition: Two chips to edge near tip and some minor nicks to peripheries, but otherwise intact and in overall very good condition with light earthen deposits in recessed areas. Inscribed in pen with symbol and number 503 on one side.

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December 1, 2022 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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