Pre-Columbian, Costa Rica, Nicoya culture, ca. 800 to 1200 CE. A gorgeous jadeite pendant with a jaguar-head finial and a long, pointed end that looks like a bloodletting instrument. The head has a fierce face, with a large snout, a curled lip, and long slits for eyes. The tip opposite the head is drilled through for suspension. The value of jade for people in ancient Central America lay in its symbolic power: perhaps its color was associated with water and vegetation; later, the Maya would place jade beads in the mouths of the dead. 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. 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. Size: 0.75" W x 4.75" H (1.9 cm x 12.1 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Bettina Schwimmer collection, Chicago, USA

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#132581

Light surface wear commensurate with age, especially around the drilled hole.