Description:

Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Valdivian / Shillacoto-Wairajirca, ca. 1800 to 1500 BCE. A ceremonial hand axe that is hand-carved from mottled greenstone. The T-shaped implement features a rectangular handle with a biconically-drilled suspension hole, a narrow neck, and a slanted, ovoid blade bearing an acutely-angled edge. Hand axes of this form have been found as part of the Kotosh Religious tradition, a name that archaeologists have given to ritual buildings built between 3000 and 1500 BCE in the mountain drainages of the high Andes. Hand axes like this one, although they are shaped like a real tool, were made specifically for ritual purposes. Size: 0.61" L x 2.83" W x 5.20" H (1.5 cm x 7.2 cm x 13.2 cm)

Provenance: private British Columbia, Canada collection, gifted from aunt in Tucson, Arizona, USA, acquired prior to 1994

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#182713

  • Condition: Light nicks and abrasions in scattered areas, otherwise intact and excellent. Great surface smoothness throughout.

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December 14, 2023 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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