Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Nicoya region, ca. 200 to 600 CE. A beautiful axe god pendant of a characteristically abstract avian form, smoothly carved, string-cut, and hand-burnished from greenstone. Boasting a natural hue of seafoam green with white veining, the figure squats atop a broad, acutely angled base that doubles as the blade edge - hence the name "axe" god. He holds both rectangular hands in front of a gently rounded chest below a prominent, triangular beak, huge eyes, and a helmet-like headdress. A biconically drilled suspension hole is bore through the neck allowing it to be worn as a pendant, while the verso presents a smoothed ridge showing where this stone slab was separated from the larger greenstone. Size: 2.5" W x 4.7" H (6.4 cm x 11.9 cm); 6.8" H (17.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Superior, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, USA, October 2, 2010, lot 348; ex-private Arizona, USA collection

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#179959

  • Condition: Natural striations and stable hairline fissures to stone, as well as some abrasions to verso. Otherwise, intact, excellent, and wearable as a pendant. Smooth surfaces and impressively preserved incised detail.

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July 14, 2023 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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