Ceremonial Ax
Artist:
Unknown
General region:North and Central America
Place made:Michoacan, Mexico
Culture: Tarascan
Period: Pre-Columbian
Date: ca. A.D. 1300-1600
Medium: Copper
Dimensions:
height: 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm)
width: 4 in. (10.2 cm)
depth: 1/4 in. (0.6 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Object number: 97.12.19
Provenance: with Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. (1921-2004), San Antonio, TX, by 1997; by gift to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1997
Label Text
From ca. A.D. 1350-1520, the Tarascan's were known as experts in metal working. The main urban centers of the Tarascan Empire were located in and around the modern state of Michoacan where copper occurs in several natural deposits. This copper ax is one type of object likely made in this region. Metal production was conducted by families and the skills passed down through the generations. Copper was heated before being worked through the annealing process. The soft nature of copper likely means this ax served ceremonial purposes. (Bernadette Cap, 2022)
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
