Hefty Pre-ColumbianTairona Jade Axe Head

Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Tairona culture, ca. 800 to 1500 CE. A lovely axe head that is hand-carved from mottled sage green omphacite jade with dark gray, sandy beige, and dark green inclusions. The T-shaped tool features an angled, crescent-shaped blade above a thick neck as well as a rectangular handle with a biconically drilled suspension hole on the end. When the handle is gripped, the heel of one's palm rests comfortably along the longer blade side rather than the short side. The green hues of the stone were a symbolic representation of fertility and growth, so this blade perhaps served a ritualistic - rather than utilitarian - purpose and may have been buried with a deceased individual. Size: 4.8" L x 4.4" W (12.2 cm x 11.2 cm)

Provenance: private J. Hart Collection, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired mid-1970's

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#167486
Condition Report: Minor nicks to blade head and handle, otherwise intact and very good. Great surface smoothness throughout.