Costa Rican Jade Axe God Pendant with Celt Blade
Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, ca. 300 BCE – 700 CE. An axe god pendant carved from translucent sea-green jade. The upper half is a frontal figure in low relief, its form cut with sure, grooved lines. A tall flat-topped headdress sits above a broad face with a heavy brow, a wide nose, and a mouth drawn as a crescent band. The arms bend in toward the chest, and a belt crossed by short vertical incisions closes the torso. Below the belt the stone widens into a smooth, polished celt blade with a gently curved edge, so the old shape of the stone axe stays visible under the figure. In ancient Costa Rica these pendants were prestige ornaments, probably worn by people of high rank. They combined the useful form of the celt with a human or supernatural image, and the green stone was probably valued for links to water, fertility, and life. Size: 3.2" L x 1.5" W (8.1 cm L x 3.8 cm W).
The axe god is one of the defining forms of ancient Costa Rican lapidary art. It was made mainly in the Guanacaste Nicoya region and the Atlantic Watershed during the centuries around the turn of the era. Costa Rica has no confirmed local source of jadeite. Scholars generally believe the raw stone came through exchange with the Motagua Valley in Guatemala, and some of it may have been recut from older Olmec and Maya heirlooms. Craftsmen sawed the stone with string and abrasive sand, drilled it with bone or cane, and polished it slowly with grit. Around the middle of the first millennium CE, gold took over from jade as the main prestige material in the region, which ended this lapidary tradition.
Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection; ex-estate of Dr. Adolfo Gonzalez, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired 1985 to 2005
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #205749
Condition
Loss to proper top left part of headdress and head. Some light surface wear as shown and chipping to ridge on verso, but, otherwise, very nice and wearable with good remaining detail and scattered earthen deposits in recessed areas.
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, ca. 300 BCE – 700 CE. An axe god pendant carved from translucent sea-green jade. The upper half is a frontal figure in low relief, its form cut with sure, grooved lines. A tall flat-topped headdress sits above a broad face with a heavy brow, a wide nose, and a mouth drawn as a crescent band. The arms bend in toward the chest, and a belt crossed by short vertical incisions closes the torso. Below the belt the stone widens into a smooth, polished celt blade with a gently curved edge, so the old shape of the stone axe stays visible under the figure. In ancient Costa Rica these pendants were prestige ornaments, probably worn by people of high rank. They combined the useful form of the celt with a human or supernatural image, and the green stone was probably valued for links to water, fertility, and life. Size: 3.2" L x 1.5" W (8.1 cm L x 3.8 cm W).
The axe god is one of the defining forms of ancient Costa Rican lapidary art. It was made mainly in the Guanacaste Nicoya region and the Atlantic Watershed during the centuries around the turn of the era. Costa Rica has no confirmed local source of jadeite. Scholars generally believe the raw stone came through exchange with the Motagua Valley in Guatemala, and some of it may have been recut from older Olmec and Maya heirlooms. Craftsmen sawed the stone with string and abrasive sand, drilled it with bone or cane, and polished it slowly with grit. Around the middle of the first millennium CE, gold took over from jade as the main prestige material in the region, which ended this lapidary tradition.
Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection; ex-estate of Dr. Adolfo Gonzalez, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired 1985 to 2005
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #205749
Condition
Loss to proper top left part of headdress and head. Some light surface wear as shown and chipping to ridge on verso, but, otherwise, very nice and wearable with good remaining detail and scattered earthen deposits in recessed areas.
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
