Description:

Pre-Columbian, Caribbean area, perhaps Dominican Republic, Taino / Arawak Indians, ca. 10th to 15th century CE. An exceedingly-rare and utterly stunning twin-headed axe head, hand-carved from a mottled jet-black stone with light inclusions, and polished to a reflective sheen. Each blade is comprised of a bulbous, semicircular lobe with an acutely-angled edge, with raised ovoid mid-section conjoining the interior blade portions. Custom museum-quality display stand included. Size: 5.5" H (14 cm); 6.625" H (16.8 cm) on included custom stand.

Based on the design, this would likely have been used for chopping and shaping wood rather than in battle, with each edge able to withstand thousands of repeated strikes against the softer material. According to the Taino Museum curatorial team, axes like these "were tools employed in cutting trees and working wood. They exist in a great variety of forms. Probably each aboriginal male adult manufactured his own axe. The shape of the axe was related to the ethnic group and to its use in daily life, in war or in religious ceremonies" (http://tainomuseum.org/portfolio-view/stone-axe/).

Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection; ex-Allen Davis collection, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

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#131752

  • Condition: Age-commensurate surface wear and abrasions, with minute nicks to blade edges, otherwise intact and near-choice.

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April 5, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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