Pre-Columbian, Mayan Territories, Late Classic Period, ca. 600 to 900 CE. Wow! A truly gorgeous pair of jade ear flares, made from stone that grades from a pale green to a darker, almost blue-green in small areas. The surfaces are carved into three dimensional flower forms with incised petals; red pigment, probably cinnabar, colors the incised grooves. The back of each disc protrudes and is pierced for insertion/attachment. These were made for a very high status individual. Come with custom stands. Size of each: 0.7" L x 1.75" W (1.8 cm x 4.4 cm)

Jade was revered by the Maya not only for its beauty, but also because it had spiritual power - it was believed to be the embodiment of the wind and the "breath" that formed the Maya soul. Ear spools like these 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. Ear spools like these were probably heirlooms, their jade and style associated by the Maya with the older cultures before them, specifically the Olmec, and seem to have been passed down through families for centuries. In that sense, they may also have been seen as a way to communicate with the ancestors.

Provenance: Ex Poway California Private Collector

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#119359

Slight surface wear; much remaining cinnabar.