The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Axe Figure

100 BCE–300 CE

Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guerrero, Mezcala

serpentine
Overall: 9.5 x 4.5 cm (3 3/4 x 1 3/4 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener 1990.189
Location: Not on view

Description

The Mezcala style takes its name from a river in its homeland, the Guerrero region of western Mexico. The style is known for small-scale sculptures characterized by sleek abstraction and often made of greenstone, one of the most precious materials that Mesoamerican artists worked. Unfortunately, little is known of the sculptures’ meanings and archaeological contexts.
  • ?-1962
    Benedict Crowell, Jr., Oaxaca, MX,1962, given to James C. and Florence C. Gruener
    1962-1990
    James C. [1903-1990] and Florence C. [1908-1982] Gruener, Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1990
    The Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 79 (September 1992) 269
  • The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-November 29, 1992).
    Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; February 4 - November 29, 1992. "The Gruener Collection of Pre-Columbian Art." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. 79 (September, 1992.) cat. no. 42, p. 269, no repr.
  • {{cite web|title=Axe Figure|url=false|author=|year=100 BCE–300 CE|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1990.189