**Originally Listed At $950**

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico Yucatan to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. An incredible olive shell that is carefully openwork carved into a skull. Both tips are pierced for suspension for threading as a necklace or attaching to clothing as a tinkler. Shells were deeply symbolic to the Maya; shells came from the sea, which was the primordial space from which the world of humans originated and the watery underworld, Xibalba. The gaunt skeletal face on this shell certainly compliments the death theme, and skulls are a popular motif in Maya art. Size: 2.2" L x 1" W (5.6 cm x 2.5 cm); 4" H (10.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Shells also seem to have been closely connected to ideas of wind, moisture, breath, and music when large conches were carved into trumpets - the musician's lifeforce breath was then transformed into a powerful sound. Shells, especially olive shells, like this example, often served as jewelry as well as offerings in burials and as dedications to buildings. In fact, it is believed that the Maya used the olive shell as a glyph symbol, and they may have worn the shells as tinklers on their clothing - this shell has a surprisingly musical quality when tapped.

For a similar collection of these skull shells, please see the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) website, accession number: 2001.272.28.1-19.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Edward H. Merrin Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, 1960s, thence by descent

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#177571

Intact and excellent. Old inventory number on verso surface. Light mineral deposits on surface.