Description:

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An interesting gathering of 24 fragmentary obsidian cores that are knapped from either jet black or mahogany obsidian. Several fragments show slender points or midsections of larger cores, and several more still retain almost all of the point, body, and tang. Obsidian was an immensely important resource in ancient Mesoamerica that was used as a valuable trade commodity far from its source in the volcanic regions of the Sierra Madre mountains. Knapping obsidian is quite predictable and controllable and produced edges with a sharpness that exceeds that of even modern-day steel surgical scalpels. Size of largest: 4.2" L (10.7 cm)

Provenance: private Glorieta, New Mexico, USA collection

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#155366

  • Condition: All are fragments of larger obsidian cores. All have very light encrustations and nicks to peripheries and/or tips. Light earthen deposits throughout.

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May 12, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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