Ceremonial Axe

Unknown

7th–15th century · Greenstone · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

The most numerous category of polished stone sculpture emerging from the Taíno world of the ancestral Caribbean islands are ceremonial axes and blades, which take many forms and may have been an important medium of exchange. Ceremonial blades made of different types of greenstone, both local and imported, have been recovered in large numbers. These axes, known as petaloid celts for their resemblance to flower petals, could have served as dedicatory offerings, which have a long history on the Caribbean mainland in Mesoamerica.

Artist

Unknown

Date

7th–15th century

Medium

Greenstone

Culture

Taíno

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

Gift of Vincent and Margaret Fay, 1982