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86
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Cult Hacha with stylised iguana head
Granite stone, carved a…
See original version (French)
86
-
Cult Hacha with stylised iguana head
Granite stone, carved a…
See original version (French)
Estimate €12,000 - €15,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Cult Hacha
with stylised iguana head
Granite stone, carved and polished, remains of red ochre pigments, biconical hole.
Maya, Mexico, Classic period, AD 600-900
27.5 × 20 × 3.5 cm
Provenance: Thierry Desbenoit & Associés sale, Drouot Paris, 8 December 2014, lot no. 160 in the catalogue
ex Marc Schmitt of Amiguet's ancient art, USA before 2014
Ball games played a central role in Mesoamerican civilisations: practised since at least 1500 BC, they were much more than just a form of entertainment. A genuine ritual act linking the world of the living to that of the gods, it symbolically reproduced the movement of the stars and the cycle of death and rebirth. The hachas - ceremonial stones associated with the game - were attached to the players' belts or placed as offerings at the edge of the pitch, playing a full part in the sacred staging of the ritual. The iguana, a figure of mediation between the terrestrial world and the subterranean powers, is a strong iconographic choice, charged with the symbolism of fertility and primordial forces.
What is striking here is the purity of the line: the elongated snout, the softly curving jaw, the deeply incised circular eye and the rhythmic dorsal crest create a silhouette of surprisingly modern graphic rigour. The polished granite stone, the sharp edges and the remnants of red ochre pigments bear witness to an object fashioned with an absolute economy of means, in which the stylisation of life achieves a form of timeless purity.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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