Description:

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Olmec culture, ca. 1150 to 550 BCE. Hand-carved from mottled brown-grey-green jadeite, this is a huge ear flare (ear spool), with a disc shape and a tapering cylindrical hole used for stretching the skin of the earlobe. Such a large jade item would have been a display of wealth and power, and the body modification implied by the large flare indicates that it was for an older adult who had been stretching his or her ear since childhood. In Mayan belief, the ear flare acted as a physical extension of the ear, used to amplify sound and spiritual feeling - perhaps the Olmec, from whom the Mayans derived some of their culture, had similar beliefs. Size: 3.5" W x 1.45" H (8.9 cm x 3.7 cm)12

Provenance: private R. D. collection, Long Beach, California, USA collection, acquired over twenty five years from various major galleries

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#124363

  • Condition: Old chips around edge; small repair on interior.

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August 31, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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