Lot 62A
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Jalisco, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE; Native American, Eastern Woodlands, ca. 1000 BCE to 1600 CE. A compact and evocative grouping of four Pre-Columbian stone axe heads, bringing together traditions from West Mexico and the Eastern Woodlands of North America. The largest example, attributed to the Jalisco region, displays the robust, carefully pecked form characteristic of West Mexican lapidary traditions, with a pronounced bit and rounded poll shaped for both function and visual balance. The remaining three axe heads belong to the Eastern Woodland tradition, where ground stone tools were essential objects of daily life, ceremonial exchange, and social status. Their smoothed surfaces, subtly waisted profiles, and controlled symmetry reflect generations of skilled stone working, achieved through patient grinding rather than cutting alone. Size of largest (Jalisco greenstone): 3.6" L x 1.4" W x 2.5" H (9.1 cm x 3.6 cm x 6.4 cm)
Variations in stone color and form suggest regional preferences and individual craftsmanship rather than rigid standardization. Together, this group offers a quiet study in parallel technological solutions across cultures separated by vast geography. Each axe head speaks to labor, landscape, and survival, objects shaped by human hands to meet the demands of forest and field, now preserved as enduring records of ancient ingenuity.
Provenance: private Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA collection
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#200656
- Condition: Weathering to surfaces with nick, chips, abrasions, and softening to blade edges. Otherwise, all are intact and excellent with good signs of use. Largest has old collection label on side identifying it as Jalisco. Most petite has indecipherable modern writing on one side.
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