Lot 136A
2 Pre-Columbian Mixtec Copper Axe Celt Blades
2 Pre-Columbian Mixtec Copper Axe Celt Blades
Starting Bid: $350
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Pre-Columbian, Valley of Mexico, Mixtec people, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A fine pair of cast-copper axe blades, or celts, which could also have served as chisels. The smaller example presents a warm copper-brown surface with a slightly flared blade edge. The larger celt features an elongated body, a thick butt end, and a more pronounced flare at the blade, its surface enriched with mottled green and russet patina from long burial. This larger form may have once functioned as part of a tlaximaltepoztli, a weapon common throughout Mesoamerica in which a copper or bronze axe head was hafted into a wooden shaft. When used in ritual or combat, such axes embodied Tepoztecatl, the god of fertility. Size of largest: 6.5" L x 2.125" W (16.5 cm x 5.4 cm)
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private Everett, Massachusetts, USA collection, purchased from Artemis Gallery, July 29, 2018, lot 112; ex-private Cipolla collection, Arizona, USA acquired before 2000
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#196990
- Condition: Both have surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, small nicks to bodies and blade edges, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout. Nice copper-brown patina on smaller celt, and great green and russet patina on larger celt.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |