Pre-Columbian, Mayan territories, ca. 500 to 950 CE. Finely carved and pecked on both sides from a beautiful piece of rich greenstone, a large ceremonial hacha depicting a human skull in profile, of an overall flat form to resemble a symbolic axe but at the same time providing strong details, as the sculptor delineated so much of the skeletal framework protecting the brain including the frontal bone, orbital plate with deeply pecked eye sockets, nasal bone, maxilla, mandible, with recessions for the teeth, even the occipital bone, and spiral motifs behind the orbital area. A stupendous example for anyone who appreciates human anatomy and/or the ancients' penchant for the macabre! Size: 6" W x 9.875" H (15.2 cm x 25.1 cm); 11.625" H (29.5 cm) on included custom stand.
Hachas were associated with the ritual Mesoamerican ball game, though they were not actually part of the player's equipment. Instead these were worn during ritualistic ceremonies related to the game. The name stems from the fact that they were believed to be axe-heads; hence the term hacha (Spanish for axe). Based on ceramic figures and imagery on stone carvings, some authors have proposed that hachas were meant to be attached to yugos (yokes). Others suggest that some of the hachas could have served as ball court markers.
Provenance: private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s
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#140848
Condition
Minute nicks to high pointed areas and peripheries commensurate with age. Nice pecking marks throughout recessed aural, orbital, and mouth cavities.