*Hache tenon

adopting the form of a face that presents the physical characteristics, somewhat geometrized, of the features of a man seen in profile. The body of a bird folded in on itself can be seen in this human representation. The bird occupies the place of a headdress or headgear. Curled up at the top of the skull, the bird's head rests against the man's forehead and its tail rests nonchalantly above the ear. As if asleep, the animal has tucked its beak under a wing. The man is clearly identifiable by his broad, arched eyebrows, his bumpy, blunt nose and pursed lips topped with a moustache. Grey-brown andesite with traces of tar (chapopote). Veracruz, Mexico, 450 - 750 A.D. 22.9 x 17.7 x 3.8 cm Provenance: Former Yvon Collet collection, 1968. An axe is a two-dimensional object that most often represents a head seen in profile. The iconographic motif, human or animal, is systematically split on each side. Its name comes from the Spanish word hacha, which refers to its shape, particularly its outer edge, which is often bevelled like the blade of an axe. The axe is one of the three elements of the Mesoamerican ball game along with the yoke and the palm. If the stone axe has a notch, it means that it could have been carried on a yoke, only in ceremonies. And, when they are provided with a tenon, it is possible that they are the remains of architectural ornaments, originally embedded in the side walls of the site. In recent years, some stone examples have been found either in a funerary context or buried in votive caches. One of the characteristics of the Veracruz culture is the presence of axes, yokes and stone flippers specific to the ulama, known as "ball game" or "pelota game". The tradition of this game has its origins in the Gulf Coast, in the Olmec period. There are several variants of this game, but it always pits two teams against each other, fighting over a rubber ball that cannot be thrown with the hands or feet, but only with the hips, elbows or knees. The game has a deep meaning. It has a religious function and symbolizes the Mesoamerican cosmogony. Indeed, the ball embodies the course of the sun and the game expresses the will of the gods. The Veracruz culture was developed on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It takes its name from the port city, built on the exact spot where the Spaniards landed in 1519. Hernán Cortès and his men erected a Christian cross there (Vera Crux, derived from the Latin). Today, Veracruz is both a city and a state. Good condition *This lot is presented as a temporary import