Lot 120C
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A truly enormous spear blade of a deep, black, opaque obsidian. This piece must have been a high prestige item for a very important member of Colima society, presumably buried with its owner. Its size is remarkable not only for its design but also for the fact that someone found such a large chunk of raw obsidian to be knapped. Size: 4.5" W x 11.85" H (11.4 cm x 30.1 cm)
Obsidian - "iztli" to them - fascinated the ancient Mesoamericans; the Aztecs even had a god, Tezcatlipoca, who was the Lord of the Smoking Obsidian Mirror. If you have ever touched or held obsidian - particularly obsidian that has been worked by an artisan into a stone tool - you will understand its dark appeal - its smoky color, smooth surface that is cool to the touch, and shockingly sharp edges. In a world without metal, this sharp quality was especially important for ceremonies of ritual bloodletting and human sacrifice. The difficult-to-obtain material came from volcanic sources in the Sierra Madre of Mexico and in Guatemala, traded hundreds of miles to meet the demand for sharp cutting tools and ritual objects, and then were struck using a deer antler or small hammer stone to form blades and other shapes. The Colima buried their dead in shaft tombs deep below their residences, alongside the remains of their ancestors. These tombs were richly furnished with ceramic figures, vessels, offerings, and precious stone items of jade and obsidian.
Provenance: Ex-Private AZ collection
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#118807
- Condition: Excellent
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