Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Celt with Ruler
Not on view
Olmec artists incised scenes on greenstone axes or celts, which symbolized sprouts of maize. The blue-green celt shows a ruler wearing an elaborate headdress, backrack, feathered cape, fringed skirt, and ornaments. The face of the Olmec Maize God crowns the headdress, reinforcing the importance of maize and fertility to a ruler’s power.
Los artistas olmecas solían hacer incisiones en hachas de jade, que simbolizaban brotes de maíz. La resplandeciente hacha verde azulada representa a un gobernante cuya vestimenta estaba compuesta por un tocado elaborado, un elemento para la espalda, una capa de plumas y una falda con flecos y adornos. La cara del Dios del Maíz olmeca corona el tocado, reforzando de esta manera la importancia que tenían el maíz y la fertilidad en el poder de un soberano.
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