Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, Guanacaste/Nicoya region, ca. 200 to 600 CE. This is a beautiful jadeite pendant in the form of a stylized bird and hand drilled in two areas for suspension. The stone is a mesmerizing nearly translucent blue-green and the sheer quality is noticeable when held to the light. The precious material was shaped by a skilled artisan, and all is expertly string cut on both sides to represent a stylized parrot-like tropical bird with a profile presenting concave eyes, a prominent beak, crest, and a petite tail with a pierced tip and a second perforation for suspension through the neck. Size: 2.5" L x 0.75" W (6.4 cm x 1.9 cm)

Costa Rica, along with Mesoamerica, is one of the two regions where jade was extensively carved in the Pre-Columbian world. The earliest example of worked jade, a pendant excavated from a burial site on the Nicoya Peninsula, dated to the mid-first millennium BCE. It appears that jade continued to be carved into personal ornaments, usually depicting animals such as birds, monkey, or frogs, until approximately 700 CE when gold became the favored material to fashion such ornaments.

Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California , USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

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.

#170088

  • Condition: Intact and choice, with only minor surface nicks. Remains of mineral or earthen deposits within string cut areas. Stone is a beautiful hue.

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February 24, 2022 10:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000