Maya Stone Effigy Hacha

Emile Deletaille, Brussels, acquired in the mid 1970s

Louis Hauwaert, Brussels, mid 1970s

Lin and Emile Deletaille, Brussels, acquired from the above in 2017

Thence by descent

Of slender section and finely carved on both sides with the scalloped mouth of a feline, the stylized rendition is distinguished by high relief forming the jaw, the eyes and the wavy row of teeth; with remains of red pigment. 

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