Arrowheads of Native American Indian peoples. America, 13000-1000 BC.
Hixion Sugar Quartz.
Provenance:
- Jacques-André Cronier (1956-2019), Château de Mezièrs le Cléry, France.
- By inheritance from its previous owners.
Measurements: 3.4 x 1.5 x 0.3 cm.
The particularity of this lot lies in the material in which it has been made, the Hixion Sugar Quartz, a very rare and hard to find precious stone. It has a natural surface texture very similar to fine sugar crystals formed by natural phenomena of microcrystalline facets.
Native American Indian peoples used spears and arrows for fishing, hunting, defence and even as ceremonial objects. These weapons had a shaft, which could be made of wood, and a sharp, cutting head at the top, which varied according to the tribe. The materials most commonly used for arrowheads were copper, obsidian and flint, a material characterised by its durability and abundance. Flint, which was worked by carving, giving it a cutting shape, was also useful because of its ability to cause sparks when it collided with other materials, giving rise to fire.