Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Valdivian culture, ca. 4000 to 2000 BCE. A huge pendant, hand-carved from shell, with a zoomorphic face on one side. The shell is a creamy grey color on its uncarved side, and a brilliant red/orange on its carved side. It has been drilled through laterally for suspension. An abstract, heart-shaped face has been incised into the surface and given two drilled eyes, with a prominent beak projecting from the face. One eye has also been more fully drilled than the other. A border has been incised from around the edges of the front side of the piece. The owl is frequently associated in South American iconography with the underworld, death, and shamanism. Size: 1.25" L x 3" W x 2.3" H (3.2 cm x 7.6 cm x 5.8 cm)

Provenance: private collection of the late Peter Arnovick, San Francisco, California, USA

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#123443

Expected wear from age and handling on the surface.