Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, ca. 0 to 800 CE. A gorgeous blue-green jade pendant, smooth on one side and carved into an abstract monkey form on the other. Behind the knees is a drilled perforation for suspension. If hung, the monkey would be suspended upside down, knees curled up, with its tail curving down sharply in a point behind its head. The eye has been lightly drilled. Still wearable. Comes with custom stand. Size: 1.6" W x 1.2" H (4.1 cm x 3 cm); height on stand: 1.75" (4.4 cm)

The value of jade for people in ancient Central America lay in its symbolic power: perhaps its color was associated with water and vegetation. Many scholars have argued that the demand for jadeite contributed to the rise of long distance trading networks and to the rise of urban centers in ancient Mesoamerica and Central America. Jade would have come to Costa Rica in the form of axe-blades (celts) that would then be worked by local artisans into pendants like this one. The exoticism of stone that had traveled so far probably contributed to the value of these objects in ancient Costa Rica. By 800 CE, gold replaced jade as the high status material of choice.

Provenance: private York, England collection found before 1990

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.

#122764

Tiny fragment lost from the uncarved back near the drilled perforation. Small signs of wear at the perforation site.