Maya Stone Effigy Hacha, Late Classic, circa AD 550 - 950

Stendahl Galleries, Los Angeles

Sotheby's, New York, May 20, 1986, lot 170, consigned by the above

Acquired at the above auction

Edwin M. Shook and Elayne Marquis, Secrets in Stone: Yokes, Hachas and Palmas from Southern Mesoamerica, Philadelphia, 1996, p. 213, cat. no. U68

Of slender section and finely carved on both sides with the highly animated mouth of an alligator, this hacha vibrantly portrays the ferocity of this creature by the high relief lines forming the eyes and the wavy row of teeth.