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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Art of the United States : Hopewell Green Slate Ceremonial Axe
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Hopewell Green Slate Ceremonial Axe - PF.0331
Origin: The Mississipi Valley, USA
Circa: 200
BC
to 200
AD
Dimensions:
20.125" (51.1cm) high
x 6.25" (15.9cm) wide
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Style: Hopewell
Medium: Slate
Location: United States
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| Description |
Around 100 B.C. the Hopewell people settled in
the northern woodlands. By the first century A.D.
their culture had flourished, influencing a wide
area as far as the lower Mississippi. The society
of the Hopewell, as well as other tribes, were
essentially hierarchical--comprising a chief,
ruling elite and high ranking shamans; all of
whom required specialized objects for domestic
and ritual use. This beautiful axe was intended
as a ceremonial tool, perhaps used to 'duplicate'
in ceremony the larger axes used in battle. The
staff is tubular in shape and rounded at the
bottom; the blade curves gracefully from two
horizontal extensions. Its elemental form and
perfect balance attests to the carver's expertise
in working with stone instruments. There is such
elegance in this axe it almost seems to be a
result of an act of nature; though we can readily
see the experienced hand of an artist who
created something of power for the sake of his
gods.
- (PF.0331)
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