Bidspirit auction | Ancient Pre-Columbian Guerrero Mezcala Jade

Ancient Pre-Columbian Guerrero Mezcala Jade Stone Axe (god) Idol Figurine - Ancient Pre-Columbian Guerrero Mezcala Stone Axe Religious Idol Figurine. Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Mezcala, ca. 300 -100 BC. A fine example carved using string-cut technology from a beautiful jade stone of deep green hues. Approx. Size: 5″ H x 1.5″ W; Weight: 13.2oz Carved and string-cut from a single piece of jade stone, a somewhat abstract anthropomorphic figure that possesses features consistent with the M-6 Mezcala types. According to Carlo Gay’s important classification of ancient Mezcala figures, “This type [M-6] is defined by the construction of its facial planes; they are flat- or almost flat- and the salient angle formed by the intersection of the two planes becomes the semblance of a nose extending from forehead to chin. The mouth is a slit or a groove in the lower half of the salient. The neck is cut deeper and narrower than in the M-4 type, while other details remain unchanged.” Figures like this one are deemed as 'axe gods' based on scholars' suppositions that they were carved from repurposed stone axe heads that had been damaged or otherwise unusable.