Description:

Pre-Columbian, Caribbean, Taino, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. An enigmatic spherolith created by the Taino peoples, perhaps for use in a ceremonial ball game, pecked and polished into a near perfect sphere. One third of the surface is a mottled gray and brown hue, and the rest has a dusty light layer of mineral encrustation, as if this artifact spent the last few centuries partially buried. 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. Size: 2.35" Diameter (6 cm); 3.25" H (8.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010; ex-Bob Dowling collection, San Francisco, California, USA, acquired 1990 to 2010

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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.

#171730

  • Condition: Age-commensurate surface wear and abrasions, with some mineral encrustations over most of the surface. Otherwise intact and excellent.

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June 8, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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