EXCENTRIQUE EN OBSIDIENNECULTURE MAYACLASSIQUE RÉCENT, 550-950 AP. J.-C. |

Collection Jay C. Leff (1925-2000), Uniontown, Pennsylvanie
Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 23 mai 1970, n° 35
Collection privée, États-Unis
Christie's, Paris, 8 décembre 2004, n° 405 
Importante Collection privée française

New York, Brooklyn Museum, Ancient Art of Latin America: From the Collection of Jay C. Leff, 22 novembre 1966 - 5 mars 1967

Easby (E. K.), Ancient Art of Latin America: From the Collection of Jay C. Leff, 1966, p. 101, n° 451

Excellent condition overall. Arm broken as such extremities. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture.
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Ce sceptre représente la divinité du pouvoir politique K'awiil, également connue sous le nom de Dieu K, identifiable à son profil minimaliste et sa coiffure arquée. Le sceptre du Dieu K était probablement l’insigne le plus essentiel à la mise en scène rituelle et politique de la royauté maya. Finement sculpté de nombreux éclats dans l’obsidienne noire, cet excentrique possède des bords fuselés qui révèlent la transparence caractéristique de cette roche volcanique. Uniquement présente dans les régions éruptives, l'obsidienne était considérée comme l'incarnation des foudres divines. Les excentriques en silex stylisés étaient généralement conçus en ensembles et déposés dans des caches dédiées au sein des bâtiments et sous des stèles, aux côtés d’instruments sacrificiels tels que des aiguillons de raie, ainsi que du jade et des coquillages précieux. Des excentriques ont été trouvés dans toute la région maya, confortant leur rôle primordial dans le calendrier politique de l'ère classique tardive.

Pour un commentaire sur les excentriques du Dieu K de Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection (Washington, D.C.), voir Pillsbury, Ancient Maya Art at Dumbarton Oaks, 2012, p. 274-287. 

This scepter represents the deity K'awiil or God K, the important supernatural who was the patron of royal dynasties within Late Classic kingdoms. God K flaked stone scepters are distinctive for the minimal profiles, arching headdress, and the bifurcated 'smoking mirror' protruding from the chest or forehead.  This scepter is a rare example finely made in precise percussive strokes in black obsidian with the delicate edges revealing the translucent quality of the stone. Obsidian was sourced only from volcanic regions and was considered the incarnation of lightning bolts from the gods. 

Eccentric flints were usually made in sets and deposited in dedicatory caches in buildings and under stelae along with bloodletting implements such as stingray spines and precious jade and shell. Eccentrics have been found throughout the Maya region supporting their role in the political agendas of the Late Classic era.

For discussion of God K eccentrics at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, D.C., see Pillsbury, ed., Ancient Maya Art at Dumbarton Oaks, 2012, pp. 274-287.