Description:

Pre-Columbian, southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A beautiful example of a hand-carved jadeite celt of soft sage, pistachio, and forest green hues. The elongated trapezoidal tool features a rounded butt end for gripping, a tapered body with rounded peripheries, incredibly smooth surfaces, and an acutely-angled blade edge. The celt is a tapered hand tool of a highly stylized ritual form with ceremonial and funerary purposes. Since not all celts were created as implements of ritual sacrifice, scholars posit that many were intended to be buried as votive offerings with rulers or individuals of high wealth and social standing. Size: 9.9" L x 2.8" W (25.1 cm x 7.1 cm)

Celts were associated with ears of corn, the V-shape being associated with the husk from which the cob emerged. At La Venta (a coastal city near present day Tabasco), caches of celts were discovered planted vertically like miniature stelae. The blunt end of this celt would suggest a similar use, and when placed in a vertical position its appearance is much more dramatic. In this stance, the celt served to define the central axis mundi and the corners of the four-sided world, regarded as a cosmic maize field.

Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010

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#173401

  • Condition: Small nicks to butt end and a few stable hairline fissures, otherwise intact and excellent. Wonderful surface smoothness throughout.

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November 10, 2022 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000