Description:

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec culture, ca. 1200 to 400 BCE. A substantial serpentine celt, hand-carved in a striking mottled black and green stone with white veining. This piece has been meticulously flaked and polished to a reflective sheen, achieving an elegant, tapering form with a rounded handle and a curved blade edge. Such celts, crafted from rare and beautiful materials, were likely intended for ceremonial or funerary purposes, symbolizing status, spiritual authority, and the Olmec connection to fertility and the divine. Size: 3.5" L x 2" W x 8" H (8.9 cm x 5.1 cm x 20.3 cm); 8.5" H (21.6 cm) on included custom stand.

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: private New York, New York, USA collection

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#190025

    Condition:
  • Abrasions along the curved blade edge, and repair with stabilizing adhesive added to fill a fissure along the white striation that loops downward. Abrasion to center of celt near blunt end. Smooth and highly polished.

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November 15, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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