Pre-Columbian, Central America, Costa Rica, ca. 200 to 600 CE. This is a beautiful pair of greenstone and omphacite jade pendants, both hand-carved, one as a bird the other as a hand. The jade bird pendant is in the stylized form of toucan, the large beak slightly curving away from the head which is drilled though for suspension and serves as the bird's eye. The other is mottled greenstone human hand, slightly cupped with all four fingers and thumb delineated by shallow incised lined and rounded tips. This pendant is also pierced through the wrist for suspension. Both stones have reddish orange traces of cinnabar filling the incised striations and drilled holes, adding a lovely pigment to the forms! Size (bird): 1.25" L x 0.5" W (3.2 cm x 1.3 cm); (hand): 1.125" L x 0.5" W (2.9 cm x 1.3 cm)
Provenance: ex-R. Thomas collection, Southern California, USA
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#150332
Condition
Minor surface nicks to both, but otherwise both are intact with traces of red cinnabar. Excellent condition!