Lot 97
Mississippian Stone Ceremonial Mace
Mississippian Stone Ceremonial Mace
Current Bid: $800
(1 Bid)
Native American, Mississippian culture, ca. 1000–1500 CE. A monolithic ceremonial mace carved from a single block of dense gray stone, its silhouette flaring from a tapered cylindrical haft into a broad, axe-like blade crowned by a sharply projecting median spur. The form belongs to a celebrated class of Mississippian regalia known from the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, where oversized stone weapons, sculpted from a single piece without practical edge or balance, served as emblems of authority rather than instruments of combat. The smooth, gently undulating surfaces retain subtle bands of natural sediment in the stone, lending the piece a quiet stratigraphic beauty.
Such "bannerstone maces" or eccentric monoliths appear in the iconography of the Southern Cult, brandished by the falcon-impersonator warriors engraved on shell gorgets and embossed copper plates from sites such as Etowah, Moundville, and Spiro. They are understood as objects of elite display, perhaps clutched in the hands of priest-chieftains during the rituals that bound together the great mound centers of the Mississippi Valley between roughly the 11th and 15th centuries. The deliberate exaggeration of the blade and the addition of decorative projections like the central spike transform a utilitarian weapon archetype into a symbol of consecrated power, a frozen gesture of dominion rendered in stone.
The patina is even and the contours unworn, suggesting the piece spent its working life resting in ceremonial precincts rather than passing from hand to hand. It is a sculptural meditation on violence sublimated into authority, a stone weapon that was never meant to strike.. 9.9" L x 3.3" W (25.1 cm L x 8.4 cm W).
Provenance: private Colorado, USA Collection; ex-private Denver, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Flushing, New York and Ridgeway, Colorado, USA collection, acquired April 2018 via private seller
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Item #
203032
- Condition: Excellent. Some abrasions to surface and small area of chipping to blade edge, but, otherwise, intact and excellent.
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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 |