Lot: 33

Ceremonial knife

Mexico, Colima

Provenance Size Starting price / estimated price
Michael Beckmann, Marburg, Germany L: 8.5 inch 800 EUR / 1500 EUR

obsidian, sharply ground all round,

The obsidian, which was difficult to obtain, came from volcanic soils in the Sierra Madre of Mexico and Guatemala and was traded across hundreds of kilometres.

With a deer antler or a small hammerstone, the material was struck into particularly sharp-edged blades that were used for human sacrifice ceremonies and ceremonies of ritual bloodletting.


This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. For shipment to a non-EU member state, export regulations will vary.