VOTIVE HATCH WITH INCREASED DECORATION Olmec culture... Lot 28

VOTIVE HATCH WITH INCREASED DECORATION Olmec culture of Guerrero, Mexico Middle Pre-Classical, 900-400 B.C. White-green hard stone with cinnabar remains H. 17,5 cm - L. 7 cm Olmec celt with incised design, green-white hard stone with cinnabar remains, Guerrero, Mexico, H. 7 in - W. 2 3/4 in Provenance: Private American Collection Acquired by the present owner in 2003 John A. Stokes, Nyack, early 1970s Exhibitions: The Art Museum, Princeton University, The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership, December 16, 1995 - February 25, 1996 The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Olmec World - Ritual and Rulership, April 14 - June 9, 1996 Publication: The Olmec World - Ritual and Rulership, The Art Museum, Princeton University, 1995, No. 126 At La Venta, deposits of ceremonial axes, including engraved cruciform models, such as the one we present today, were discovered in deep pits obstructed by several successive layers of coloured clay. Some offering deposits contained up to several dozen cult axes, while others curiously contained only a few. Their actual function is not known, but it is obvious that these axes were offered to the gods or supernatural powers as part of imposed rites.