Pre-Columbian, Olmec culture, ca. 1150 to 550 BCE. A carved jade (greenstone) spoon with incised designs in its slightly sunken bowl that would have once been filled with red cinnabar based on similar examples. These designs are a human head shown in profile and a snake or lizard. Two holes have been drilled on the horizontal side, and two others are on the vertical side. A modern string and other greenstone have been added to make this a wearable necklace. Size: 1.45" W x 2.95" H (3.7 cm x 7.5 cm)

For the ancient Olmec, these items were worn as pectorals by wealthy elites and also possibly used by shamans for the ingestion of hallucinogens. We know this from representations of Olmec people on contemporary artwork.

Provenance: Ex-Naomi Lindstrom Collection

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#119410

Polished in modern times, with necklace and other stone added recently.