ID: 700000153 Page link: http://vocab.getty.edu/page/cona/700000153	Record Type: Movable Work
Images: 1

Hacha (hacha (visual work); unknown Classic Veracruz, Terminal Classic; Terminal Classic Veracruz (900...)

Note: The base figure, certainly a trophy head, appears to be an elderly male with wrinkles on his face, above his eyes, and on the bridge of his nose. His ears bear large composite ear spools, and his chin has shanks of a probable false beard. The lips meet in front, but the toothless mouth is contorted in a forceful grimace. The large eyes appear to be slits, closed as in death. A prominent bar-like attachment extends from the eye over the upper bridge of the nose; above it are the upper part of the eye socket and forehead abutting a circle under the larger upper image. This distorted head may well be a Veracruz variant of an aged underworld deity, such as Gods L and N in Maya art. Regardless of the specific image, this sculpture was probably carved to mark the sacrifice of a high-status personage or ruler of note rather than solely to honor a fearsome god. The decapitated man depicted here may have impersonated just such a deity in a sacrificial ball game rite. In the Maya epic Popul Vuh, the Hero Twins competed with the underworld gods in the ballcourt. Ultimately, the gods were defeated and beheaded. The head depicted in this hacha may be wearing a skin mask; it also may be named in the scene above. The upper 60 percent of the sculpture, ostensibly a type of crested headdress or helmet for the lower face, is dominated by a seated zoomorphic figure with a human body.

Titles:

Hacha (preferred,C,U,RP,English-P,U,U)

Hacha (Ceremonial Ax) (C,U,undetermined,U,U)

Catalog Level: item

Work Types:

hacha (visual work) [300264867] (preferred)

..... (Objects Facet, Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name), Visual Works (hierarchy name), visual works (works), <visual works by material or technique>, sculpture (visual works), <sculpture by function>)

Classifications:

sculptures (preferred)

Pre-Columbian art

Creation Date: Terminal Classic Veracruz (900-1100 CE)

Creator Display:

unknown Classic Veracruz, Terminal Classic [preferred,VP]

sculptor unknown Classic Veracruz (Classic Veracruz cultural designation) [500203122]

Locations:

Dumbarton Oaks (Washington, DC, United States) [500235090] Museums Harvard University, Harvard University, Corporate Bodies (Corp. Body)

Repository Numbers: PC.B.038

Original: Veracruz [7005599] Mexico (nation), North and Central America (continent), World (facet) (Geographic)

Display Materials: marble

	marble (rock) [300011443]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by composition>, inorganic material, rock (inorganic material), metamorphic rock)

Dimensions: 34.9 x 22.2 x 4.4 cm (13.8 x 8.8 x 1.8 inches)

Cultures:

Pre-Columbian (preferred)

Style/Period/Group/Movement:

	Late Classic Veracruz [300266231] (preferred,N/A)
	.....(Styles and Periods Facet, Styles and Periods (hierarchy name), <styles| periods| and cultures by region>, Americas| The, Pre-Columbian (American), <Pre-Columbian Middle American styles and periods>, Mesoamerican, <Mesoamerican regional styles and periods>, Gulf Coast Mesoamerican styles, Classic Veracruz)

General Subject:

religion and mythology (preferred)

human figures

ceremonial objects (isness)

Specific Subjects:

	face (animal component) [300251798]
	.....(Objects Facet, Components (hierarchy name), components (objects parts), <components by specific context>, biological components, animal components) (AAT)

	game [300069657]
	.....(Activities Facet, Physical and Mental Activities (hierarchy name), physical activities, <physical activities by specific context>, <public and interactive activities>) (AAT)

	sacrifice (religious ceremony) [300263243]
	.....(Activities Facet, Events (hierarchy name), events (activities), cultural events, ceremonies, religious ceremonies) (AAT)

	ball game (general, game) [300239662]
	.....(Activities Facet, Physical and Mental Activities (hierarchy name), physical activities, <physical activities by specific context>, <public and interactive activities>, games) (AAT)

Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Mrs. Amparo Mendizobal de Fernandez of Orizaba , Veracruz, Mexico. Purchased from Earl Stendahl, Los Angeles (dealer), by Robert Woods Bliss, 1956. Robert Woods Bliss Collection of Pre-Columbian Art, Washington, DC, 1956-1962. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Pre-Columbian Collection, Washington, DC.

List/Hierarchical Position:

..... Movable Works

.......... Movable Works by class: decorative and utilitarian works

Sources and Contributors:
Hacha	........ [VP]
	........ Dumbarton Oaks online (2002-)
Hacha (Ceremonial Ax)	........ [VP]
	........ CDWA online (1995-)

Subject: ....... [VP]

Note:
English	..... [VP]
	..... Dumbarton Oaks online (2002-)