**Originally Listed At $600**

Pre-Columbian, Dominican Republic, Taino or Ciboney people, ca. 1200 to 1500 CE. A smooth, round, grey serpentine ball with a milky white natural inclusion forming a curved, natural rift across much of the body. Stone balls like this one are found in burials of the Ciboney and Taino people. Its beauty and perfect form demonstrate the mastery that these people had over pecking stone, shaping it through abrasion and polishing. This must have been some kind of offering, perhaps because of the intensive work that went into crafting it. Size: 4.4" W (11.2 cm)

Fascinatingly, these stone balls may tell us something about the people they memorialize. For example, in excavations at Cueva de los Ninos, archaeologists found a group of child burials where the size and age of child seems to correlate to the size of the ball in the grave (aka, older child, bigger ball). This example is large for being from a grave and may have commemorated a different kind of event.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection

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.

#127611

Very light surface scratching. Plastic ring shown in photographs not included.