Lot 79
Pre-Columbian, Caribbean, Taino, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. Carved in the form of a near perfect sphere, a stone ball created by the Taino peoples, perhaps for use in a ceremonial ball game. Ball-courts have been found in parts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where the Mesoamerican ballgame was played with a rubber ball. It is possible that this stone ball was a votive object or trophy for the ball-game. Given its orb-like appearance, scholars have also suggested that it may have been created to symbolize the sun or another celestial body. An unusual artifact, carved from a creamy beige stone. Its beauty and perfect form demonstrate the mastery that these people had over pecking stone, shaping it through abrasion, and polishing. Size: 5" in diameter (12.7 cm)
Stone balls like this one are found in burials of the Ciboney and Taino people. Fascinatingly, these stone balls may tell us something about the people they memorialize. For example, in excavations at Cueva de los Ninos, archaeologists found a group of child burials where the size and age of a child seems to correlate to the size of the ball in the grave (aka, older child, bigger ball).
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Bob Dowling collection, San Francisco, California, USA, acquired 1990 to 2010
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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#131967
- Condition: Expected surface wear showing divots and marks commensurate with age and russet red deposits on the surface. Lucite ring in photo not included.
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