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_ID%3D5328
Stonework
Ceremonial Celt Figure
Mezcala artist, (active )
Mezcala artist
Mexico
6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
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Metadiorite
Metadiorite
Mezcala; made in Guerrero, Mexico
300 BCE - 300 CE
300 BCE
300
1000 BCE - 500 CE, figures, Guerrero
Stonework
In Ancient America, a variety of green stones – sometimes called jadeite or jade – were highly-prized, valuable materials. While the types of stones and the actual greenness vary, a symbolic association linked them to water and plant growth. The hard stone was sculpted by abrading it with other stones, which was a slow and arduous process. The durability and strength as well as the attractive, shiny surfaces would have contributed to the overall value of green stone and these celt figures.
This green stone figure is an anthropomorphized celt, or axe-head. The frequency with which the Mezcala people made celt figures with human characteristics can perhaps be explained by the animistic belief that animals, plants, rocks and objects have spirits. The celt was a multi-use working tool that was passed down through generations. Because of its highly-valued role and ancestral connotations, the celt form took on symbolic value in ritual objects, some of which were worn by individuals.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
1958.12
item
Memorial Art Gallery
2/3/2001
58.12SL1
slide
full frontal
2 x 2
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
58.12DI1
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/58.12_A1.jpg
58.12DI#2
digital image
5/12/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/58.12_A2.jpg