Celt with Deity
Celt with Deity
1000-300 BC
Stone
Overall: 32.2 x 14 x 11.5 cm (12 11/16 x 5 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.)
Gift of the Hanna Fund 1954.856
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Description
This ceremonial object has the head of a deity and a body shaped like an axe blade (celt) used to clear land for agriculture. The flared mouth, toothless gums, and fangs are typical of Olmec supernatural beings. The meaning of the body's "four-dots-and-a-bar" motif is unclear, but it sometimes appears in depictions of plants. The deity, then, seems to be associated with fertility.
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