Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Nicoya region, ca. 200 to 600 CE. A gorgeous example of an abstract axe god figure that is hand-carved from mottled pale green jadeite with dark green and soft beige inclusions. The trapezoidal figure presents with an acutely angled edge below its lower portion - hence the name 'axe' god - and has both arms and legs curled tightly against its abdomen. Vertical triangles along the upper body are indicative of biceps, and a biconically drilled suspension hole is bored through the neck beneath the string-cut shoulders. The intriguing countenance features drilled eyes and mouth corners, string-cut nasolabial folds and chin grooves, and incised lips, nostrils, and brow wrinkles, all beneath a slightly rounded skull cap. Polished obverse surfaces imbue the composition with a lustrous sheen, and the verso still retains its natural, unpolished presentation. Size: 2.3" W x 5.7" H (5.8 cm x 14.5 cm); 6.4" H (16.3 cm) on included custom stand.

The value of jadeite in the Pre-Columbian world lay in its symbolic power; scholars believe its color was associated with water and vegetation. Costa Rica, along with Mesoamerica, is one of the two regions where jade was extensively carved in the Pre-Columbian world. The earliest example of worked jadeite, a pendant excavated from a burial site on the Nicoya Peninsula, dated to the mid-first millennium BCE. It appears that jadeite continued to be carved into personal ornaments, usually depicting anthropomorphic deities or animals such as birds, monkeys, or frogs, until approximately 700 CE when gold became the favored material to fashion such ornaments.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Rochester, New York, USA collection; ex-I.M. Chait Galleries, Los Angeles, California, USA

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#167989

Minor nicks to peripheries, with one small spall to proper right arm commensurate with stone type, and chipping along verso seam commensurate with carving technique, otherwise intact and excellent. Wonderful luster on polished obverse surfaces. Old inventory label on verso.