Pre-Columbian, Caribbean, Taino, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. Carved in the form of a near perfect sphere, this is a stone ball created by the Taino peoples, perhaps for use in a ceremonial ball game. This ball is made from a smooth, mottled, pale-gray stone with light and dark inclusions across the body. Stone spheres like this one are found in burials of the Ciboney and Taino people. Its beauty and perfect form demonstrate the mastery that these people had at pecking stone, shaping it through abrasion, and polishing it to a highly reflective sheen. 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 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: 4.6" Diameter (11.7 cm); 4.9" H (12.4 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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#171737

Expected surface wear showing divots and marks commensurate with age and russet red deposits on the surface.