Pre-Columbian, Caribbean, Taino culture, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A hand-carved stone ball or spherolith exhibiting finely layered hues of cream and light gray. Stone spheres like this one are found in burials of the Ciboney and Taino people. 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: 2.77" Diameter (7 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired from 2000 to 2010; ex-Bob Dowling collection, San Francisco, California, USA

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#184563

Minor nicks and abrasions, otherwise intact and very good. Great surface smoothness throughout. Previous inventory label along verso.