Pre-Columbian, Caribbean, Taino, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A fascinating and rare artifact from the Caribbean, a coral that is polished into a nearly perfect sphere. Ball courts have been found in parts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where a Mesoamerican ballgame was played with a rubber ball. It is possible that this coral example was a votive object or trophy for the ball game. This type of coral is often called brain coral due to the grooved maze like and wrinkled surface that resembles a brain. These corals will naturally grow in hemispherical and domed shapes in shallow water, and this piece may have been collected or washed up on shore where it was then further polished into a sphere by human hands. Given its orb-like appearance, scholars have also suggested that spheres were created by the Taino to symbolize the sun or another celestial body. Size: 4.5" Diameter (11.4 cm)

Provenance: private J. Hart Collection, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired mid-1970s

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#174534

Surface chips and 3 larger abrasions. Mineral encrustations in recessed areas as shown. Excellent condition.