Description:

Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, ca. 1 to 500 CE. This is a tapered hand axe, with the broad shape of a human body with a square torso, wide-set string cut eyes, and pierced laterally at the neck, possibly for suspension. The bottom of the celt is a sandstone-smoothed, sharpened blade. The ancient Costa Ricans were influenced by the Olmec to their north, and may have even repurposed Mesoamerican hand axes for their own purposes. The figure here has incised carving that reveals facial features, hands in front of the waist, and a large headdress with a triangular wave pattern. This was likely a funerary offering. Size: 2.15" W x 5.2" H (5.5 cm x 13.2 cm)

Provenance: Ex - Private W. S. collection, Los Angeles, Ca

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#114409

  • Condition: Expected age wear, with clear incised features.

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July 14, 2016 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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