Pre-Columbian, Maya territories, ca. 500 to 800 CE. A mottled granite hacha associated with the Meso-American ballgame, finely carved in the form of a monkey head in profile with a wide open, circular eye delineated in negative relief, curvilinear incised marks to delineate wrinkles, an open mouth with a protruding tongue, and a boldly rendered jawline. There is also a drilled suspension/attachment hole through the upper section of the head. Size: 7.875" L x 8.25" H (20 cm x 21 cm); 9.375" H (23.8 cm) on included custom stand.
Monkeys were prevalent in the Mesoamerican lowlands, with the two most common species being the howler monkey and the spider monkey. However, the monkeys depicted on hachas are highly stylized, abstracting the monkey’s essential characteristics. Monkeys were represented often in various art forms, including stone pedestal sculptures, mushroom stones, architectural reliefs, ceramic figures, whistles, and effigy vessels, as well as hachas for the traditionall ballgame.
The Mesoamerican ballgame was a ritual event that featured elaborate attire and accessories. Stone hachas were not actually used to play the game, but instead were probably worn or carried, hafted onto wooden poles like standards, in ritual processions where the elite sponsors of the game displayed them to demonstrate their wealth.
Provenance: ex Arte Primitivo (October 5, 2020 - lot 122); ex-private Florida, USA physician's collection, acquired from George Martinez, December 1, 2003, who acquired it in the 1950s
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#160599
Condition
Chips to peripheries and some surface wear commensurate with age, but otherwise generally excellent. Light surface encrustation.