Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, ca. 100 to 800 CE. A gorgeous blue-green jadeite half axe (celt) with carving suggesting that it was at one time a full axe depicting an avian or anthropomorphic figure that cleaved in half in antiquity. Deposits on the surface attest to the age of the cleave. Was it deliberately destroyed? Carved as only half? We know that jadeite came to Costa Rica from further north in the form of axe-blades (celts) that would then be worked by local artisans into pendants like this one. Perhaps this one arrived in Costa Rica with traders and was already split in half so a whimsical artisan carved a half form. Size: 0.7" W x 6.4" H (1.8 cm x 16.3 cm)
The value of jade for people in ancient Central America lay in its symbolic power: perhaps its color was associated with water and vegetation; later, the Maya would place jade beads in the mouths of the dead. Many scholars have argued that the demand for jadeite contributed to the rise of long distance trading networks and to the rise of urban centers in ancient Mesoamerica.
Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s
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#142973
Condition
This is a half of a celt that appears to have cleaved in half during antiquity, perhaps intentionally, with deposits on all sides. The tail is pitted and not a smooth curve, again an ancient form.