1973.29 Spirit axe (Olmec, Tabasco, Mexico)

This massive stone axe embodies the power of man to clear the land, dig and shape the earth, and make the world a habitable place. The cleft in the forehead represents the opening of a path from the human world to the otherworld. Its blade, wielded by the king in ceremony, was a means of cleaving such a path and bringing spiritual force into the world. In all likelihood, this axe was associated with lightning, rain, and abundance. Full of power during the years of its use, the axe was ritually "killed" by the Olmec themselves, who battered and burned it before burial. Today, it bears the scars of this ordeal.

The facial features are common among Olmec figurines and represent the were-jaguar motif, which depicts a human-jaguar supernatural figure with exaggerated down-turned mouth, cleft head, and almond-shaped eyes. Prominent in Olmec art, the motif likely represents a supernatural entity or deity, the were-jaguar supernatural. The term were-jaguar refers to the merging of human and jaguar characteristics, an analogy with the term werewolf. Although interpretations of the were-jaguar figure vary, the incorporation of animal attributes suggests that the Olmec held animals in high regard and may have attempted to channel the power of such creatures.

Pre-Columbian (American): AAT: 300016619

Gulf Coast Mesoamerican styles: AAT: 300108063

Olmec: AAT: 300017051

Tabasco (state): TGN: 7005596

stone: AAT: 300011176

carving: AAT: 300053149

polishing (finishing): AAT: 300053867

incising: AAT: 300053847

drillwork (sculpture technique): AAT: 300186211

relief (sculpture techniques): AAT: 300053622

Middle Preclassic Period (Formative): AAT: 300016973

Preclassic (Archaic / Formative / Mesoamerican period): AAT: 300016967

Formative Period (Preclassic): AAT: 300016973

axes (weapons): AAT: 300036982

standing: AAT:  300239500

underworld (doctrinal concept): AAT: 300343823

jaguar: AAT: 300310389

transformations (concepts / processes): DMA

cleft head (motif): DMA

king: AAT: 300025481

rulers (people): AAT: 300025475

lightning: AAT: 300068795

rain (precipitation / weather): AAT: 300055377

power: AAT: 300374809

ceremonial objects: AAT: 300234117

ritual objects: AAT: 300312158

burning (physicochemical processes): AAT: 300228062

n.d: Dr. and Sra. Josué Sáenz, Mexico, D.F. [1], [2]

Until 1973: Edward H. Merrin Gallery, Inc. [2], [3]

From 1973: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott and The Eugene McDermott Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated [3], [4]

[1] The main source for this provenance was existing provenance information in TMS. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted. 

[2] The main source for this provenance is Object Worksheet (n.d., copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[3] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Record (dated March 13, 1973, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[4] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

Khan Academy~Watch a video with Dr. Rex Koonz and Dr. Steven Zucker discussing the famous Olmec Kunz Axe, Olmec iconography, and the importance of jade, jadeite, and other greenstones.

Apply to objects where number equals 1973.29