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Celt with Deity
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This ceremonial object has the head of a deity and a body shaped like an axe blade (celt) used to clear land for agriculture. The flared mouth, toothless gums, and fangs are typical of Olmec supernatural beings. The meaning of the body's "four-dots-and-a-bar" motif is unclear, but it sometimes appears in depictions of plants. The deity, then, seems to be associated with fertility.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineCelt with Deity, 1000–300 BCE. Mesoamerica, Mexico, Olmec. Stone; overall: 32.2 x 14 x 11.5 cm (12 11/16 x 5 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hanna Fund, 1954.856
