Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Valdivian/Shillacoto-Wairajirca culture, ca. 1800 to 1500 BCE. A beautiful broad axe head of a substantial form with concave sides, a rounded blade edge, and a pair of miniscule handles projecting from the corners. The surface exhibits a meticulously smoothed texture formed over many hours using sandstone by master artisans. Hand axes of this form have been found as part of the Kotosh Religious tradition, a name that archaeologists have given to ritual buildings built between 3000 and 1500 BCE in the mountain drainages of the high Andes. Hand axes like this one, although shaped like a utilitarian tool, were made specifically for ritual purposes. Size: 6.5" W x 7.4" H (16.5 cm x 18.8 cm).
Exhibited in "Artifacts of Ecuador: Collection of Col. William R. Cameron (Ret.), Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, January 8 to 29, 1977.
Provenance: private California, USA collection, acquired in 2004; ex-private Gill family collection, Pebble Beach, California, USA, acquired in 1980; ex-Colonel William R. Cameron (Ret.) collection, California, USA, acquired in 1965 to 1968; exhibited in "Artifacts of Ecuador: Collection of Col. William R. Cameron (Ret.), Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, January 8 to 29, 1977
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#145147
Condition
Loss to one handle. Light abrasions across both faces. Light earthen deposits throughout.