**Originally Listed At $250**

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A hand-carved jadeite ear spool with a quatrefoil, flared rim, and a cylindrical plug with drilled perforations for securing the spool in place. Jade ear spools are a symbol of Maya royalty, and this stone was believed to be the embodiment of the wind and the "breath" that formed the Maya soul. Ear spools are often shown in profile in Mayan art, usually with a bead or serpent emerging from that central hollow plug; this is interpreted to be a symbolic supernatural passageway for the breath of the soul to travel through. Size: 1.3" Diameter x 0.5" W (3.3 cm x 1.3 cm)

Provenance: ex-old private Ohio, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s; ex-Malone collection, Texas, USA, prior to 1970

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.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#181728

Old chip and tiny loss to plug rim, otherwise intact. Mineral encrustations on the surface.